2025-03-31-accounts

Registered number: 07568318 Charity number: 1140852

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

CONTENTS

	Page
Reference and administrative details of the charitable company, its Trustees and advisers	1 - 2
Chair's and Chief Executive's statements	3 - 6
Trustees' report	7 - 30
Independent auditor's report on the financial statements	31 - 34
Statement of financial activities	35
Balance sheet	36 - 37
Statement of cash flows	38
Notes to the financial statements	39 - 62

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITABLE COMPANY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Trustees

Professor Dianne Willcocks CBE, Chair Josephine M Mennell, Vice Chair Marianne D Betts Anna E Boaden Helen M Burke, Vice-Chair (resigned 3 June 2024) Andrew C Chang (resigned 1 June 2024) Stella M Cheetham (appointed 16 May 2025) Oliver E Colling Ian M Howard (appointed 16 May 2025) Keith Ramsay (appointed 16 May 2025) Roger J Stocker (resigned 1 April 2024) Alex R Trigg Dr Justine Stephenson (Justine D Walker) Professor Rachel Wicaksono (appointed 17 May 2024)

The Trustees would like to thank Helen Burke, Andrew Chang, and Roger Stocker for their commitment, support, and service as Trustees.

Company registered number

07568318

Charity registered number

1140852

Registered office

Westgate House, 5 Westgate, Pickering, North Yorkshire, Y018 8BA

Company secretary

Deborah Lewis-Bynoe (appointed 26 February 2024) Paul McCay

Founder Trustees

Wilfred Ward OBE (17 November 1916 - 19 January 2005) Phyllis Ward (28 February 1921 - 19 December 2009

Independent Auditor

BHP LLP, Rievaulx House, 1 St Mary's Court, Blossom Street, York, YO24 1AH

Page | 1

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITABLE COMPANY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Bankers

Barclays Bank Plc, Ryedale Group of Branches, P O Box 10, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 0ER

Barclays Bank provides the Trust with banking facilities and has worked closely with senior management to meet the Trust's requirements.

Solicitors

Ward Haddaway, Sandgate House, 102 Quayside, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3DX Anthony Collins, 134 Edmund Street, Birmingham B3 2ES

Joint Investment Advisors

J M Finn & Co, 4th Floor, 33 Park Place, Leeds, LS1 2RY

Rathbones (formerly Investec Wealth & Investment), PO Box 1965, Liverpool, L69 3HU

Brewin Dolphin, 10 Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AN

J M Finn & Co, Rathbones and Brewin Dolphin continue to work closely with the Trustees to report on the benchmarking requirements set for investments and achieve the best potential returns on investment.

IT Advisors

FluidOne Business IT, Systems House, Shepcote Office Village, 333 Shepcote Lane, Sheffield, S9 1TG

Insurance

PIB Insurance Brokers, Poppleton Grange, Low Poppleton, York, YO26 6GZ

PIB Insurance Brokers source insurance products and advise the Trust to ensure the Trust is covered for all potential liabilities.

Executive Leadership Team

Paul Mc Cay Chief Executive Deborah Lewis-Bynoe Director of Resources Laura Parker Director of Operations Martin McGuigan Director of Operations Felicity Simpkin Director of Transformation

(leaving date 2 August 2024) (appointed 4 November 2024) (appointed 22 January 2025)

Page | 2

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

CHAIR’S AND CHIEF EXECUTIVES’S STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Chair’s Welcome

In this my final year as Chair of The Wilf Ward Family Trust, I am pleased to introduce this report which evidences a proud, values-led organisation which continues to navigate the troubled territory of social care with a clear purpose and with professional integrity. This 2024-25 account confirms the contribution that we make to supporting extraordinary lives both for those who work with us and for those who make their home in our services – in a context of exceptional challenge and turbulence, for care providers. At Wilf Ward, a relentless focus on the quality of leadership, in the senior team and across our services, has been pivotal in maintaining standards and promoting a culture of dignity and respect, thus contributing to our ambitious agenda for securing full citizenship for the individuals we support.

And whilst the financial outturn remains disappointing, notable progress can be claimed in key areas: the language and practice of co-production has become the norm for policy development, with our individuals and staff teams now visibly helping to shape future plans; our public profile has been strengthened by important partnership working and stakeholder engagement; and a significant revisiting of service viability and the scoping of new opportunities set against projected future demands has addressed, in part, difficulties imposed by commissioning shortfalls. Alongside routine oversight of performance & development, a fresh approach to risk appetite and risk management has been welcomed by Trustees – together with a restructuring of governance arrangements and the strengthening of committees with significant Independent Committee Member appointments.

Importantly, this year has also seen the confirming and wider sharing of our strategic ambitions to secure the next phase of development for Wilf Ward Family Trust. As the clamour of public voices for revisiting the nation’s policy approach to social care grows ever louder, together with the related matter of appropriate financial underpinning, we recognise that creating new value-for-money delivery vehicles will be warmly received and we anticipate that new ways of working in partnership will be one route to achieving this desired outcome.

The continuing journey towards creating a fully inclusive Board is now making significant progress– in dialogue with our Jigsaw partners, the individuals we support. They have helped the Trust to form Equal Voices, a group which is shadowing the Board agenda. Beyond important policy debates, these two bodies play a creative role in training, in appointments and in profiling the work of the Trust – not simply through social media but also delighting audiences on our television screens.

Finally, at the conclusion of my seven-year journey with the Trust, my message for my eminent successor is a positive one! Despite its many challenges, this is a community which has the courage and the capacity to develop and grow towards a sustainable and joyous future. It has been a privilege to work closely with our talented and committed teams at Wilf Ward, most particularly its gifted CEO, and, with a skilled and values-led board, to enhance good governance – drawing on the impressive expertise and connectivity of our trustees and independent committee members.

Page 3

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

CHAIR’S AND CHIEF EXECUTIVES’S STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

I am indebted to all those who have worked tirelessly to protect both the everyday experiences of the individuals we support and the wider reputation of our proud Yorkshire name. Our innovative and inclusive forward strategy ensures that we will be delivering services that are shaped for the future by the voices of those in our care.

Professor Dianne Willcocks CBE

Page 4

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

CHAIR’S AND CHIEF EXECUTIVES’S STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Chief Executive’s Welcome

The Trust has faced another financially challenging year providing yet more evidence of the fact that the funding environment for adult social care services remains difficult. Despite ending the financial period, as forecast, with a significant financial deficit, we can take some comfort from the fact that this was slightly below what was budgeted, and that significant elements of the deficit can be attributed to necessary work that has been undertaken to invest in the longer-term future of the Trust. This includes investments in building our own in-house recruitment team, strengthening our approaches to quality, IT and digital delivery, project management and leadership development. Like many other adult learning disabilities focused social care providers, we continue to suffer from a combination of historically low fee rates, geographically dispersed services and workforce recruitment and retention challenges. These are systemic issues that cannot be addressed quickly, but we have been working on prioritising solutions to these challenges as a way of bringing the Trust back to a break-even position over the coming years.

Notwithstanding our financial performance, during the financial year under review, we have achieved significant progress in the delivery of our strategic objectives. This has included planning, undertaking and delivering a restructuring of the operational management structure, to ensure that our frontline leaders know what is expected from them, whilst providing them with more off-shift time to support their services. We have started the first phase of digital care plans, which will be completed in the coming financial year. All our managers have received bespoke training focused on the significant capabilities and responsibilities they face as leaders working in a complex environment. We have embedded our internal recruitment team, and they have helped most of our services to recruit at or above 100% of contracted hours, thus supporting a drive to significantly reduce our reliance on agency staff. Finally, we have been improving our approach to risk management and data gathering. Clearly all of this activity has created a sense of change across the whole organisation, which has been broadly positively received, even though change on this scale does involve some long serving colleagues changing roles, and in some case leaving their employment with the Trust.

As we approach the new financial year, we face further challenges. The increase in Employers National Insurance Contributions (ENIC), implemented by the Chancellor in the Autumn 2024 Budget has come into force. Additionally, the increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) has added additional cost pressures on both the Trust and our funders. This is resulting in lower than required fee increases which will mean that we will have to consider the affordability and consequently the ability to continue delivering under-funded services. There is uncertainty regarding the impact of the Employment Rights Bill, especially how the Fair Pay for Care Workers element of the Bill will be introduced and more importantly funded.

However, there is hope that The Casey Review of Adult Social Care and the proposed changes in the Integrated Care System (ICS) will not only provide a stable platform for social care in the future, but will also provide opportunities for the Trust to develop partnerships, new approaches to service delivery and novel ways to offer all the individuals we support the chance to fully engage in their local communities

We remain aware of the scale of the challenge ahead, but are confident that we have the right values, people and resources to deliver the necessary changes to ensure the future of the Trust. We have the full support of our Trustees to explore new ways of working, to seek out partnerships, to use our significant financial reserves to undertake new opportunities and to continue to focus on delivering high quality support through engagement and involvement with our colleagues and the individuals we support.

Page 5

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

CHAIR’S AND CHIEF EXECUTIVES’S STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Finally, we intend to build upon the foundations that have been established during the first year of delivering our strategic plan and we expect to begin to move at pace in the coming years to seek out the right opportunities that will provide financial stability for the Trust, and greater choices for our colleagues and the individuals we support.

Paul McCay Chief Executive

Page 6

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report and the audited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019.

GOVERNANCE

The Wilf Ward Family Trust is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, dated 16 March 2011, in line with the following objectives:

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of The Wilf Ward Family Trust are

• a) To relieve the needs and promote, support and improve the lives, independence and life chance opportunities for children, adults and older people resident principally in the Yorkshire and Humber, and North East regions or elsewhere in the United Kingdom who as a result of their ill health or disability relating to their physical, learning or mental health requirements are unable to meet their own needs or achieve their ambitions by providing them with support or care or accommodation or any combination of these.

• b) To relieve the needs and promote the enablement of adults resident in that geographical area with complex disadvantages or barriers to work and/or who as a result of their ill health or disability relating to their physical, learning or mental health requirements are unable to meet their own needs or achieve their ambitions by the provision of:

• Work, employment, occupations and activities provided by the Company or at its direction and with its support

• Training and advice, and advocacy services

• c) To provide relief to carers throughout that geographical area by the provision of appropriate residential, short breaks, community services and other identified support needs for the child, adult or older person with a disability.

• d) The promotion of independence, health, wellbeing and social inclusion amongst people in the same geographical area in need of support by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage by the provision of transport, delivery of goods, outings and social trips, domestic/ housekeeping tasks and any other similar services as Trustees may from time to time determine.

• e) Such other charitable purposes for the benefit of the public of the same geographical area as Trustees may from time to time determine.

Page 7

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES

The Directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its Trustees for the purposes of the Companies Act and Charity Law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as Trustees. Trustees are initially appointed for a period of three years, and they are encouraged to put themselves forward for re-appointment for two subsequent periods of three years, on the anniversary of their third year in the post. Irrespective of the length of appointment, Trustees can resign from their position at any time within this period of service. There is no maximum number of Trustees who can be appointed.

There are currently eleven Trustees. All Trustees hold equal voting rights, with the Chair holding the casting vote in cases where no clear outcome has been decided. The Trust does not consider that there is any one person associated with the Trust who could be considered a person holding significant control. Board meetings are mainly held face to face but there is the opportunity for all meetings to be held virtually or in hybrid format if required.

All new Trustees are encouraged to visit services to engage with the individuals we support and meet colleagues beyond the membership of the Leadership Team. Newly appointed Trustees are mentored by a more established Trustee and a full induction process is followed. Trustees are encouraged to maintain their own training log, and they are given access to relevant online training purchased by the Trust, to seminars and conferences and to access face-to-face training delivered across the Trust. All Trustees undergo a bi-annual 360-degree appraisal process where they receive feedback from fellow Trustees and members of the Leadership Team. The Trustees also regularly appraise the performance of the whole Board as part of an annual Board Effectiveness Review.

During the past few years, the Trust has introduced a new role of Independent Committee Member. The persons who hold these roles are highly experienced and skilled practitioners from a range of backgrounds. They do not have the same legally mandated responsibilities and accountabilities as Trustees but act as strategic advisors to the three Committees of the Board and to the Executive Leadership Team. The Trust is fortunate to have attracted several skilled Independent Committee Members, and we expect to continue to develop this role and to continue to recruit new Independent Committee Members, as required, with the appropriate skills and ambition to assist the delivery of our strategic plan.

No Trustee received any remuneration during the year. Expenses reimbursed to Trustees are noted in note 15 to the accounts.

The day-to-day management of the Trust is delegated to the Executive Leadership Team who are listed on page 2.

Appointment of Trustees and Chair

Our current Chair, Professor Dianne Willcocks announced at the beginning of the financial period under review that she intended to step down as Chair and a Trustee by September 2025. This prompted the Trustees to consider both Chair and Trustee succession and to consider how to recruit both the Chair and Trustees into a sector that is facing considerable external challenge. A competitive tendering process was undertaken to seek a recruitment partner with the scope and capabilities to deliver three key objectives. The first was to recruit a new Chair. The second was to work with our current Trustees to understand how they can best utilise their skills across the Trust and to undertake succession planning with them. The third element of this partnership was to undertake work to deliver an internal Trustee Academy.

Page 8

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustee Academy will work with staff from across the Trust to help them understand how they can best work alongside the Trustees to help deliver our strategic objectives. A possible additional benefit of attending the academy will be an encouragement for more colleagues to actively seek Trustee positions across the wider charity sector. We believe that this will not only build competence and leadership skills internally, but it will also bring much needed skills to other charities and community groups. Alongside staff attending the Trustee Academy, we will also encourage some of the individuals we support to attend the training being provided. We see this as another step on our journey to becoming a user-led organisation. Additionally, we also consider that this is an effective way to support individuals living with a learning disability to live an ordinary life, where they contribute their skills and ideas to organisations in the places where they live.

After a rigorous selection process we appointed Peridot Partners, for a period of three years, to work with us to deliver these objectives. Work began in January 2025 to search for a replacement for Professor Dianne Willcocks, our current Chair. This process has been successful, and the Board is pleased to announce that Keith Ramsay will become Chair of The Wilf Ward Family Trust following our next Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is scheduled for 25th July 2025. Peridot Partners will be working with the Executive Team and all Trustees to identify th e best approaches to ensure that delivery of the projects objectives is interlinked to the delivery of our strategic plans. This will include undertaking a Board Effectiveness review, with a particular focus on learning and development and a revision of the Trustee appraisal process. Whilst this is being developed, we will continue to encourage all existing and new Trustees to visit services to engage with the individuals we support and meet colleagues beyond the membership of the Leadership Team

Board and Committees

The Trustees meet a minimum of five times a year as a full Board to focus on strategic performance matters and the direction of the Trust. Trustee engagement with the CEO and other staff remains consistently high outside of structured meetings, and the Chair and CEO hold regular meetings to discuss strategic and operational opportunities and risks. The Board continually reviews and assesses its risk appetite, and this forms part of wider strategic discussions focused on financial sustainability, partnership opportunities and growth.

The Trustees remain focused on ensuring the Board moves towards becoming increasingly user-led and they actively engage with the membership of Equal Voices, a group of individuals we support who have a direct link with the Board. With the support of Peridot Partners and the resources that the Trustees have committed to developing greater engagement with the individuals we support, we will continue to explore how to encourage and develop a user-led approach to strategy and governance.

The Board is supported by three Committees. The Governance and Remuneration Committee (GAR), focuses on compliance with charity legislation, good governance, workforce matters and executive pay and performance; the Assurance & Risk Committee (ARC) provides oversight of operational performance, and regulatory compliance and assurance; the Investments Committee (IC), assists the Trust in making best use of its assets to meet the resourcing challenges that will need to be overcome as the Trust enters the delivery phase of its strategic plan. This committee considers how we can best utilise our resources to implement larger scale / capital intensive projects. All three committees can appoint Independent Committee Members, who do not hold the same accountabilities and responsibilities as Trustees, but who are likely to be senior experts in their field, to support and challenge both Trustees, and the Executive Team. The remuneration of senior personnel is considered annually at the GAR. Decisions are reached on pay and terms and conditions using benchmarking against other social care organisations across the sector.

Page 9

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

There are currently four Independent Committee Members: Jane Brightman sits on both the Governance & Remuneration and Investment Committees; Ron Tullock sits on the Assurance & Risk Committee; Phil Jeffries sits on the Assurance & Risk Committee and John Clarke sits on both the Assurance & Risk Committee and the Investment Committee. A key aspect of our work with Peridot Partners is to identify suitability experienced candidates for both future Trustee and Independent Committee Member roles. We recognise that our strategic ambition is significant and that we will need to draw on a diverse range of expertise and knowledge to deliver our strategic objectives. As such we expect to recruit several more Trustees and Independent Committee Members in the coming years to help deliver our strategy and ensure the continued success of the Trust.

The Trustees remain committed to following the Charity Governance Code and review their adherence to this on an annual basis. The Board Effectiveness Review will consider how we can demonstrate adherence to the Governance Code. Following this review actions are planned and undertaken to ensure the governance of the Trust follows recommended good practice.

Trustee duties to have regard to Section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006

The Trustees are aware of and believe that they have mechanisms in place to ensure they have complied with their duty to have regard to the matters in section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006. This includes ensuring that any decisions that may have a long-term influence on the success of the Trust require at a minimum a full risk assessment and business case appraisal. The Trustees monitor the financial performance of the Trust and are clear that we operate fair terms of business and that we endeavour to pay all creditors within 30 days of receipt of an invoice. The Trustees have, and take the opportunity, to meet with professional advisors to seek feedback on the Trust and its responsiveness to regulatory and legal compliance matters.

The Trustees follow an Environmental, Social and Regulatory approach to investments and seek feedback on the impact of the Trust’s operational activities in the wider community. Trustees have a code of conduct and are expected to role model The Wilf Ward Family Trust Way, which outlines the values and behavioural expectations of all staff.

The Trustees are aware of their duties to inform all regulatory bodies of any areas of concern. This duty is undertaken on their behalf by the Chief Executive. Regular submissions are made to Local Authorities and the Care Quality Commission, usually in the form of safeguarding concerns. To fulfil these duties, the Trustees remain in regular contact with senior staff. They regularly attend ad hoc and scheduled meetings on issues of development or concern.

One Trustee assumes an additional duty of being the safeguarding liaison with the Nominated Individual. In this role she provides support, oversight and guidance on any matters of concern, however she does not act in isolation from the Board. The Chair also receives updates on safeguarding and health and safety matters from senior staff, and this is shared with the other Trustees through the Committee and Board meetings, or immediately if appropriate. The Trustees consider whether any concerns should be submitted to the Charity Commission under the Reporting of Serious Incidents (RSI) process, as and when they arise.

During the year under review one submission was made to the Charity Commission under the RSI process. The Charity Commission confirmed that they were satisfied with the actions taken by the Trust related to this incident. The Charity Commission was also contacted to discuss our planned closure of The Paceys respite service. This contact was to ensure good practice was followed by the Trust, the Charity Commission stated that they required no further contact regarding this matter. During the coming financial period the Trustees will ensure that any areas of concern related to actions taken to ensure the financial sustainability of the Trust, will be communicated in a timely and professional manner with the Charity Commission and all other relevant regulatory bodies.

Page 10

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees recognise their duties to ensure good governance and oversight of the activities of the Trust. They fulfil these duties both via attendance at Board and Committee Meetings, and by remaining in contact with key personnel during the intervals between these meetings. Attendance at all formal meetings is recorded in Table 1 below. This reflects only attendance at diarised meetings and does not reflect the level of engagement each individual Trustee has with the organisation and the individuals we support. Trustees also attend meetings (by rotation) with staff and the individuals we support, and they are encouraged to visit services with the dual purpose of understanding and assessing the work undertaken by the Trust and meeting and listening to compliments and concerns of staff and the individuals we support.

Table 1: Showing Trustee attendance at Board and Committee Meetings for the financial period under review.

Trustee	Attendance at Board Meetings	Attendance at Committee Meetings
Professor Dianne Willcocks (Chair)	5 out of 5	Governance and Remuneration Committee (4 out of 4)
Josephine Mennell (vice-Chair)	4 out of 5	Assurance and Risk Committee (4 out of 4)
Marianne Betts (Chair of Investment Committee)	4 out of 5	Investment Committee (1 out of 1)
Anna Boaden	4 out of 5	Governance and Remuneration Committee (3 out of 4)
Oliver Colling (Chair of Assurance and Risk Committee)	5 out of 5	Assurance and Risk Committee (3 out of 4)
Dr Justine Stephenson (Chair of Governance and Remuneration Committee)	3 out of 5	Governance and Remuneration Committee (4 out of 4)
Professor Rachel Wicaksono	3 out of 4	Assurance and Risk Committee (3 out of 4)
Alex Trigg	3 out of 5	Governance and Remuneration Committee (3 out of 4) Investment Committee(1 out of 1)
Helen Burke (resigned 3 June 2024)	1 out of 1	Not applicable for financial period under review
Andrew Chang (resigned 1 June 2024)	1 out of 1	Not applicable for financial period under review

Page 11

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

STRATEGIC REPORT

REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The Trustees recognise the operational and strategic challenges associated with the running of a large, complex and multi-site social care organisation, such as the Trust. Subsequently, they wish to start their report by thanking all current and former staff for their continued dedication to the individuals that we support.

The Trust is undoubtedly a changing organisation as the operating environment for adult social care providers becomes increasingly harder and the pace of external change requires greater ability to respond to such change at pace. The contents of this strategic report will provide further details of the changes that have been made, and those that will need to be delivered in the coming financial year, to match the ambitions of our strategy.

The Trustees are proud of our origins, and they believe that this is what continues to make us unique across the social care sector. We will celebrate the 40[th] anniversary of the founding of The Wilf Ward Family Trust in 2026, and most of the founding principles of the Trust have been built upon and developed since then. This includes maintaining decades long relationships with most of the individuals we support and their wider families. We believe that this remains a cornerstone value that shapes everything we do. Our services are small and homely, and we encourage building relationships both across our services, and into the wider community. We continually place the individuals we support at the centre of all that we do, and this provides unique insight into their dreams and wishes.

We find that most of our staff tend to stay with us for a long time. Whilst we experience the high levels of recruitment and retention problems that other social care organisations face , we do find that once our colleagues have stayed with us for more than two years, they tend to remain for considerably longer. This provides a high level of experience and consistency, especially at managerial and senior leadership levels, and results in us being able to deliver consistent practice whilst being able to appropriately respond to change.

A key driver for change has been the need for the Trust to return to a break-even / surplus position. This objective has been the foundation for most of the activity during the financial period under review. Despite enduring several years of financial deficits, the balance sheet of the Trust remains strong relative to income received. The Trustees consider the Trust to be amid a period of sustained consolidation and strategic preparation. The fluidity of the balance sheet will become a key strategic asset in how the Trust successfully addresses its existing challenges and engages with opportunities to enters new markets and types of service delivery.

Keen observers of the adult social care sector will recognise that regulatory changes related to housing, support and the provision of direct care have placed welcome improvements in safety and quality, but additional requirements on social care providers. The Trust has responded to some of this by increasing the number and type of specialist roles it employs. Most of this increase in staffing resource has been funded via our reserves. The Trustees believe that this is an effective use of reserves as developing such skills and capacity across the organisation increases efficiency, allows operational managers to focus on quality delivery and reduces the risk of regulatory non-compliance.

Page 12

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

In the past we have relied on managers to oversee everything from housing management to health and safety. While this is still an important element of what duties they are expected to undertake, the new roles can devote more time and specialist knowledge to ensure the right outcomes are delivered for the Trust and the individuals we support. Subsequently, as we have started to develop the frameworks from which we will deliver our Target Operating Models (TOM), we have spent a significant proportion of the financial period under review, planning and then delivering an Organisational Re-design. This has involved aligning all the services we operate under the segments of the TOM which will focus on Supported Living, Complex Care and Transitions services. Further work has since been undertaken to restructure the management roles responsible for overseeing each aspect of the TOM. This has resulted in a management structure that was previously supported via assistant manager roles where each post-holder was able to devote just a few hours each week to administrative tasks, to a new structure where they spend most of their week focused on management tasks. We believe that this is a significant step forward in ensuring all colleagues are supported to develop new skills and where we can build capacity for quality improvement and service growth.

During the year we have invested considerable resources into training all managers how to become more skilled at leadership and aware of, and able to respond positively to the complexity of the work the Trust undertakes. This programme of development will continue in the coming financial year, where we will begin to explore our objective of instilling a coaching culture across the entire organisation. As the level of complexity and need changes for the individuals we support, mainly due to aging, we have increased the range of specialist training available to our colleagues. This has included training in dysphagia, dementia awareness and physical care needs.

Significant effort has been made to engage the individuals we support to access resources across their wider communities, and to become more involved in the strategic planning of the Trust. There are now two distinct groups to encourage wider engagement. The first is Jigsaw, which is well established, and which focuses on ensuring that our workforce and the wider community are aware of the wishes, needs and ambitions of the individuals we support. Prior to the General Election in July 2024, the Jigsaw group held a hustings event with Rachael Maskell MP, where they asked her numerous questions related to her views on supporting individuals with a learning disability. Jigsaw did invite other MPs to attend similar events but received no further response to their invites. However, they do have plans in the coming year to actively challenge local and national political figures on the policy decisions they are making which affect their lives.

The second group, Equal Voices forms the first phase of our ambitions to move towards a user -led Board. The Equal Voices group comprises several individuals we support who were elected by their peers to consider and offer commentary on key decisions being reached by the Board. Both groups contribute to our wider ambitions to ensure that every individual we support can live a gloriously ordinary life. We have aligned our thinking on achieving this to the principles of Everyday Citizenship which follows seven key principles to a ‘Life Well Lived’. The seven principles are: Freedom; Direction/Purpose; Money; Home; Help; Life and Love. Over the next few years, we will be seeking partners from within and external to the social care sector to assist the individuals we support in achieving their personal ambitions in one or more of the seven principles. This will become a defining feature of the work we undertake with all the individuals we support and will undoubtedly act as a catalyst for successful outcomes for the individuals, inspiration for partners and opportunities to innovate the delivery of care and support.

During the financial period under review, we began to plan, select and implement a partner to assist with the delivery of digital care plans. Staff from across the Trust, and several individuals we support were involved in this initial process, with them choosing to work with Log My Care as our provider of choice. We were successful in being awarded funding from the Integrated Care Board to implement the first phase of this project and following training sessions across the Trust we have started the roll out of digital care plans and expect to complete and embed this process by the end of 2025.

Page 13

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

As we gain in confidence using digital software, we expect to be able to consider other systems that require implementation or replacement. We also expect to consider how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to monitor care plans and to assist with basic administrative tasks, thereby making our services more effective, responsive and efficient. An additional benefit from this work will be ensuring that the individuals we support have more control over what is recorded about them, and how they can highlight their ambitions and wishes more clearly.

The Trust’s strategic plan ‘Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Lives’ has developed further during the financial period under review and during the past 12 months the plan has moved from theory into action. The strategy follows several overarching themes which are highlighted below:

• Financial Fitness

• Regulatory and Quality Improvement

• Leadership and Management

• Recruitment and Retention

• Strategic Readiness.

The themes will form part of the departmental objectives that will help position the Trust to meet the challenges ahead and deliver our strategic aims. The Trustees are clear that the scale of challenge ahead is significant, however they and the Executive Team believe that real opportunities exist to change the way that social care is delivered and that the Trust still has the resources, both financial, strategic and human to ensure that the ambitions and needs of individuals living with a learning disability continue to be met into the future.

The Trust had an operating deficit of £1,986,135 (2023/24: deficit of £1,268,017) for the period from charitable activities income of £25,320,193 (2023/24: £25,689,323). The National Living Wage increased 9.8% during the financial period under review and it has increased again by a further 6.7% from April 2025. This places considerable pressure on the finances of the Trust as approximately 90% of our running costs relate to staff. The fact that both Local Authority and Health contractual fee uplifts for the 2025/26 financial period are significantly below the level necessary to meet these increases in costs means that the Trust must further utilise its reserves to pay all its staff a fair wage. While the Trustees welcome the recognition and well-deserved increase in salary that this will bring to all staff, they also note that our commissioners (both local authority and health) must pay the Trust fairly to remain sustainable, address increasing challenge and be able to invest in the future of the organisation.

Service Provision

The Trust provided during the year:

• 69 supported living homes

• 6 registered residential care homes

• 1 respite property providing respite support to up to 90 individuals from across Leeds (This service ceased delivery in July 2024)

• Disability accessible holiday accommodation for families and individuals at Bempton Holiday Villa, Filey and The Beach House, Filey.

Page 14

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

As stated throughout this report, change has become a persistent feature of the activities of the Trust. During the financial period under review, we ceased to provide respite services from The Paceys. This followed a period of negotiation with the local authority where it became clear that the location of the property and the inability to agree increased fee rates, made it difficult to safely staff the service. We worked alongside the council staff to phase the closure of the service. We also decided to temporarily close Vivis House, one of two office locations in Pickering. This decision was taken as Vivis House often had just a small number of staff working from the site. Investigations were undertaken to see whether the covenant on the property could be revised to allow a commercially viable sale, however this is not possible. We will review the potential to utilise the space at Vivis House during this coming financial period.

Physical office locations remain important to the delivery of our services. Primarily this is to encourage and facilitate managers to come together to discuss key operational and strategic matters. They are also vital to provide training hubs. Additionally, many of our supported living services still have office space that is utilised by staff and managers. We no longer consider this best practice, and we have started to phase out offices in all supported living properties. There have been mixed opinions about this, especially from relatives and the individuals we support, with most feeling concerned that the removal of offices is detrimental to the support provided to the individuals living there. This has meant that we have engaged in consultation to explain how this can be deemed best practice.

During the year we entered consultation to cease the delivery of services at Graylings, a four-bed registered care service. The service held a vacancy for more than 18 months and was deemed to be economically challenging to deliver. Our negotiations with the local authority were professional and efficient and we were able to close the service, in February 2025, earlier than expected. The three remaining residents of the service transferred to other services across the Trust, two of whom remaining in registered care provision and one moving to supported living. We are aware that all three are thriving in their new homes, with one man especially gaining a new lease of life. Previously he became anxious and upset if he left Grayling and this limited his opportunities to engage with the wider community. He also required two to one escort to assist the management of his behaviours of distress when out in public. He now requires just one person to assist him to engage in the community and he goes out every day without any need of encouragement.

Scribe House also ceased to offer services during the financial period under review. This property accommodated three individuals, two of whom wanted to live independently. Eventually only one individual remained at the property, and we felt that the property was unsuitable to continue as a supported living scheme. Again, we were able to successfully work with local authority colleagues to transfer the remaining person to another Wilf Ward service (as she and her family wished), and we negotiated an early return of the property to the owners. Like the individuals who moved from Grayling, we understand that the individual who moved from Scribe House is thriving in her new home.

Over the course of the coming few years, we expect that there will be more property related changes happening across the Trust. Understandably this can be a challenging process for all concerned, but we believe our recent experiences have assisted with the development of clear project planning and negotiation skills, which will focus on reaching the best possible outcome for all concerned. We view this process of change as positive, as ultimately, the individuals we support will be provided with accommodation that suits their changing needs. However, this does not mean that the Trust is scaling back delivery. Our strategic plan sets out the scale of ambition that we must develop and provide new types of services, in new locations. We intend to achieve this via a range of activities which will include developing strategic partnerships, exploring joint working, and seeking organisations that we can acquire or merge with. We are also clear that we may need to reprovision some of the services that we currently deliver, either by changing how or where this delivery takes place, or by finding new locations and commissioners to work with on a long-term basis.

Page 15

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Learning and Development

Providing high quality learning and development opportunities for all our colleagues is not only a regulatory requirement, but also a way of supporting our workforce to deliver high quality care and support. We continue to sponsor staff to attend relevant health and social care training utilising the Apprenticeship Levy, however we recognise that not all staff prefer to learn via courses or distance learning providers. Most of our training is delivered via a combination of external and in-house providers and can be either on-line or in a classroom environment. Colleagues are expected to attend all mandatory training which includes safeguarding, the Oliver McGowan training course and GDPR. Depending on the level of complexity of needs at each service, additional training can be provided.

Due to the nature of our work, it is not uncommon for the individuals we support to pass away unexpectedly. This can be traumatic for both the staff supporting them and the individuals that they share their home with. In cases where additional psychological and emotional support is necessary, we do identify suitable partners to provide the correct interventions to support the service.

As mentioned previously in this report, significant work has been devoted to developing and delivering an in-house leadership course, designed to teach our managers the key operational and strategic skills needed to manage in an everchanging business environment. This course has been well received by attendees and during the financial period under review, most of our managers have received this training. The training programme will continue in the coming years and will be aligned with the competencies and objectives we have identified as needed in all leadership roles across the Trust.

We recognise that learning and development should focus on key life skills too. During the financial period under review, we have supported several staff to become advanced Mental Health First Aiders. This cohort of staff have received additional training to enable them to assist colleagues with their mental well-being.

Alongside this our Marketing Team have been working in partnership with several external partners to deliver regular webinars focused on men’s health, women’s health, financial planning, dealing with change and learning resilience skills. The Marketing Team have also supported the delivery of webinars led by the Chief Executive focused on topical matters including the impact of the Autumn Budget, the Spending Review, changes across the social care sector and how the strategic objectives of the Trust are progressing and how this will benefit the Trust. To ensure wider participation and inclusion, several of the most relevant webinars have been shortened to facilitate engagement with the individuals we support.

Fundraising and Legacies

The Trustees remain grateful to every person, staff teams and organisations that raise funds for the Trust. The Trust is registered for Gift Aid and uses the Virgin Money Giving scheme and MyCharityPage.com to encourage donations from the public.

The Wilf Ward Family Trust does not engage in large scale levels of public fundraising and does not use professional fundraisers or commercial participators. The Trust nevertheless observes and complies with the relevant fundraising regulations and codes. During the year there were no complaints received in relation to the Trust’s fundraising practice. Where the Trust receives donations, this may berestricted by the donor, for a particular purpose or it may be donated with no particular purpose in mind. The Trust holds a restricted fund of £166,000 which was donated to assist with the development of a hydrotherapy pool. It has been clear for several years that this project is no longer possible to deliver.

Page 16

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The CEO met with the donor, on several occasions, to explain the situation and she has agreed that the funds can be redesignated for a series of projects focused on supporting individuals with learning disabilities to build skills that will enable them to engage more fully within the communities in which they live. We intend to link this generous donation to our work on Everyday Citizenship, where we will work with the individuals, we support to assist them to learn the skills they have, and need, to become active members of their local communities. The remaining elements of this funding will be used to pay for one-off experiences which would ordinarily be too expensive or difficult to achieve without additional funding. As our strategy progresses, we expect to develop our fundraising skills within the Trust and to apply for funding to help the individuals we support to become a greater part of their communities. We also hope to develop greater partnerships with organisations across all sectors to encourage wider participation in what they do, by individuals living with a learning disability. By doing this we expect that we will develop more opportunities to support individuals with learning disabilities to explore their ambitions and dreams and demonstrate that they are very capable and committed citizens.

Volunteers

The Trust is grateful to everyone who volunteers their time to enhance the lives of the individuals we support. The Trust does not operate a formal volunteer programme. Where people do volunteer their level of commitment ranges from a few hours every year to assist with fundraising events to weekly attendance at services to engage in activities such as music therapy, singing and befriending. Volunteers are usually people who have a close personal connection with the services in their local area and will normally have known one or more of the individuals we have supported for many years.

Use of land and property for charitable purposes

The Trust owns 21 properties all of which are owned without mortgage, and which are used to assist the charity in achieving its stated objectives. In addition, the Trust has 4 Section 28a properties, these are owned by the NHS but are managed and maintained by the Trust, rent free, provided certain conditions are met. As these properties are not owned by the Trust, the value of the section 28a properties is not held on our balance sheet. All but nominal proceeds from the sale of any section 28a properties must be returned to the NHS, when they are sold. Therefore, there is no change to the balance sheet related to their sale or disposal. Of the total 25 properties 5 are vacant, of which 4 have been offered for sale on the open market. Three properties (The Paceys, Eastgate and Fell Close) subsequently being under offer. Two of these properties Grayling and Fell Close are section 28a properties. The Trust continues to operate registered care services from the two remaining section 28a properties Stakesby Road and Muston Road.

The remaining vacant property is Vivis House which was decommissioned as an office during the financial period under review. It was planned to explore the sale of this property, but due to issues related to covenants on the site, it is probable that the building will be reinstated as office accommodation during the coming financial period as it is not practice at the Trust to allow buildings to remain empty for sustained periods.

During the next twelve months the Trust will undertake a review of its property asset portfolio to ensure that the properties that are owned by the Trust will meet the needs of both their residents, and the future objectives of the Trust. We will then explore how we can develop partnerships with property development organisations to develop services that meet the needs of future service delivery and the requirements of the individuals we support.

Page 17

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Public Profile and Partnerships

The work we undertake is becoming increasingly complex and complicated, and we recognise that we may no longer have the competence or resources to address gaps in service provision solely via our own efforts. Therefore, we have undertaken work to seek out potential ventures and partnerships with organisations that share our values and vision for the future. This has included exploring partnerships with housing developers, specialist charities focused on education and employment skills and continuing to build research focused relationships with local universities.

Our public profile continues to develop. A family of five individuals we support was visited by a regional BBC television reporter in December 2024. He was keen to understand the unique challenges they faced living together and the concerns that they had about the future of social care. When the news item was broadcast, we received contact from people across the country who were touched by the news item and who wished to pass on their best wishes to the five individuals.

Our work engaging with the wider community is also taking shape. We have entered a strategic relationship with York City football club, assisting and guiding them on how they can make their home matches more accessible and disability friendly. One of the individuals we support has gained a volunteering role at York City on match days, and we hope that this will soon move into a paid role, as the club recognises the value and dedication he adds to the role. During the coming years we expect to broaden our public profile and look at ways in which we can assist the individuals we support to represent themselves and put forward their own views. We will seek out training that can assist them to achieve this.

However, we also recognise that the wider social care environment is changing rapidly and that there will be opportunities for the Trust to provide opinion and commentary on the future of the sector. We continue to contribute to national campaigns run by organisations such as ARC (The Association for Real Change), VODG (The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group) and the ICG (The Independent Care Group). The Casey Review of Adult Social Care will also provide opportunity for us to give ideas on how social care can deliver better outcomes, and we will support our individuals to provide their input into any public consultations related to this, and other relevant policy discussions.

Risk Management

The Trustees are responsible for oversight of the strategic risks faced by the Trust. The corporate risk register is informed by the Trusts Board Assurance Framework (BAF). Significant work has been undertaken in the past financial year to develop the BAF into a document that is user friendly, yet capable of guiding the Trustees in their awareness of strategic risk. We have been assisted in this work by a team of colleagues from Audit Yorkshire, who work with several NHS Trusts across the Yorkshire region. The work undertaken has included updating the risk profile and risk appetite of the Trust, exploring how data understanding how the Committees and Board Meetings ensure that risk is continually considered. We will continue to engage with Audit Yorkshire into the 2025-26 financial period to further strengthen our approaches to audit and governance.

While the Trustees are supported in their analysis of risk profile and risk appetite by the BAF and via advice provided by the Executive and other professional advisors, they are clear that several persistent risks require constant monitoring. Overall, the Trustees recognise the need to deliver financially sustainable services that meet the needs of current and future beneficiaries of the Trust. Table 2 (below) provides a summary of the key risks that the organisation is currently facing.

Page 18

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Table 2: Summary of the Strategic Risk Register

Risk Category	Summary of risk	n
1. Delivering Financially Sustainable Services	Many of the services provided by the Trust are historically underfunded, there is a requirement to agree funding at a level where the Trust achieves full cost recovery and can invest in the development and delivery of new services. The Trustees view financial sustainability as the primary risk facing the Trust. Subsequently, this is an issue that is considered at all Board and Committee Meetings. This is being mitigated by the financial planning, investment of reserves into projects and plans for growth that have bee approved bythe Board aspart of our strategic ambitions .
2. Delivering safe services	As a regulated provider this is a key duty placed on all staff and Trustees. Maintaining safe services requires everyone to focus on key environmental, financial, physical and health risks that could face the workforce, visitors and individuals we support every day. Staff are trained in all aspects of this work, but we appreciate that people make mistakes and so we have implemented lessons learned whenever a near miss or serious safeguarding concern happens, to ensure that wherever possible the services we operate are safe and facilitate the individuals we support taking measured and known risks where appropriate.
3. Ensuring a positive culture and engagement	Our workforce is very important in ensuring we meet our strategic objectives, therefore we have been developing a strong offer via our People Promise to ensure that they have the best possible T&Cs, opportunities to learn and develop and that they are well- ed and given praise and recognition when appropriate. We recognise that many staff join us because they want to make a difference in the lives of the individuals we support. Therefore, it is important that we support our workforce to build competencies in active citizenship. This will assist us to transform the approaches that we undertake to support everyindividual to live a full life within their communities.
4. Managing Capacity	We have made significant progress in building capacity across the Trust, however much of this has been due to the investment of our reserves into additional support and leadership roles. Our ability to continue to deliver our strategic ambitions remains reliant on attracting suitable skilled staff who wish to support us to achieve our strategic ambitions.
5. Building organisational capability	The needs of the individuals we support are constantly changing, and we are providing more training to staff than previously to ensure that they can safely and appropriately support everybody. Our focus on training and leadership development is the first step in manging this risk. During the next few years as the Trust builds its expertise in digital, AI and use of different systems we recognise that we must assist all staff, and the individuals we support to fully utilise these approaches.

Page 19

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

6. Infrastructure	We need to ensure that our properties are appropriately maintained and that they mee all regulatory requirements placed upon us as landlords. We also need to ensure tha our systems are fit for purpose and that they enable the future development the Trust As previously mentioned, the changes that we are planning regarding new systems an approaches will also require us to plan and manage both property, office and system infrastructure. Undertaking change at the speed and scale at which we are progressing means that we must continually ensure that we check our infrastructure has adapted an remains responsive to our new ways of working.	d s d
7. Corporate Social Responsibility	We need to ensure that we meet our contractual and moral obligations to become a more environmentally conscious organisation. The CQC and The Charity Commission both require the Trust engages more fully in ESG activities. As we begin to develop new partnerships and relationships with external agencies and companies, we will need to ensure that we pay appropriate regard to corporate social responsibility and any reputational and regulatory issues that may occur because of this work.
8. Partnerships	We recognise the need to work in partnership with a significant number of new and established partners. When doing this we need to be cognisant of the risks and rewards that can arise from any partnership. Engaging in partnership working is not without risk, and resources can be invested in building partnerships which do not deliver positive results. Consequently, we will undertake further work to ensure that our policies and safeguards regarding partnerships are consistently monitored, and we will utilise external legal and implantation advice to ensure this risk is appropriatelymanaged.
9. Strong Governance	As we are part of a highly regulated sector and a charity, we must ensure that our governance systems are strong and that they assist us to make decisions effectively and correctly. Our work with Audit Yorkshire and Peridot Partners will continue to develop our already strong governance models. Our investment in an internal Quality Team will help build the capacity and competencies to continue to meet the regulatory requirements placed upon the Trust.

Page 20

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Factors relevant to achieving objectives

Becoming financially sustainable is the key driver of success for the Trust in the next few years. As stated previously in this report, the challenges facing the working age adult segment of social care are significant. The size of the challenge has increased this year due to the unexpected increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions (ENIC). This has adversely affected the financial position of the Trust due to the high proportion of our staff who work part-time and who were previously exempt from ENIC costs. The increase in the National Living Wage (NLW), although welcome and necessary, is unlikely to be matched by the increases in contract rates that we receive from Local Authorities and the NHS. This has resulted in concerted efforts to reduce costs, prevent waste and to explore how we can do things more effectively.

We have begun a wide-ranging exercise exploring how we can implement cost reduction practices across the entire organisation. This includes focusing on significantly reducing our reliance on agency staff during the next few years. From December 2024 we have been working to reduce agency use across numerous services. We have also been utilising the skills of our in-house recruitment team to reduce the numbers of vacancies that exist across the Trust. This has resulted in most services now having recruited staff to cover at least 100% of contracted hours. The demands on staff time related to training, absence and working shift patterns means that we must recruit staff at a level (usually 120% of contracted hours) to ensure all support hours are provided. This creates additional levels of complexity when planning work patterns and ensuring that staff are not only compliant with all mandatory training, but that they also have time available for personal development, and to undertake the more specialist training necessary to look after individuals with highly complex care needs.

The workforce of the Trust is highly diverse, and we are grateful to all our staff for their dedication and skills. The Trust does not sponsor overseas workers, but we are able to employ staff who may be on a student visa or who are already sponsored by another organisation. The legislative framework related to employing overseas workers is challenging and we anticipate that this will become more complicated following the government’s recent announcements regarding the Immigration White Paper. Most of our overseas colleagues are very good care staff, who are appreciated and valued by the individuals we support and the teams that they work with. However, we are concerned that as the ability to employ overseas workers become more complicated, that we will see many of our current colleagues leave our employment.

As stated previously in this report, recruitment and retention issues remain a key factor in the Trust delivering quality services, and in reducing cost and reliance on agency workers. In the coming financial period, we will assess the level of risk this presents and take steps to ensure that we recruit staff from the UK into the sector. This will require us to ensure that we can offer all staff the best possible opportunity to come and develop new skills and abilities, to feel included and part of a wider team and to feel that their work is valued and appreciated. We will do this by ensuring our terms and conditions of employment are sustainable and fair, that we train staff well and that we continually communicate how our strategic objectives will improve not just the opportunities available to the individuals we support, but also the opportunities available to all staff.

Developing strong leadership competencies will ensure that the Trust continues to deliver its strategic objectives. Further investment will be made in the coming financial periods into developing leadership skills at all levels of the organisation. Furthermore, as we develop new services across all elements of the Target Operating Model (TOM) we will need to invest in the skills and competencies required to deliver high quality, outcomes focused support. In the coming years we will continue to improve how we deliver support and seek to utilise digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform the ways in which we record, analyse data and explore more efficient ways of working.

Page 21

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Quality – Inspection and Service Reviews

It is widely acknowledged that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has struggled to maintain an effective presence and level of influence across the social care sector since the 2020 covid-19 pandemic. Nationwide, the level of inspections undertaken by the CQC has reduced drastically, meaning that only high-risk services are likely to be formally inspected by the CQC. We anticipate that it will still be several months before the CQC will have recruited and trained the personnel necessary to undertake large scale inspections of services. The Trust currently holds 15 registrations with the CQC, which covers all the supported living and registered care services we operate. Presently all the registrations are assessed as either overall Good or overall Outstanding and we have had limited contact with the CQC regarding areas of concern across all our services.

We have had no formal inspections undertaken by CQC during the financial period under review, which would indicate that none of our services have been deemed to be high risk. While this is good news, we do recognise the benefit that comes from regular inspection and contact with the CQC, and although we anticipate the initial phases of routine inspection will be challenging, as our organisational memory of managing inspections is low, we will welcome the opportunity to learn and improve. We have engaged with the CQC on numerous occasions to ensure that our regulatory duties are met and that proper safeguarding procedures are followed. Our relationship with the CQC remains open and willing to address any issues that we, or other stakeholders, may bring to their attention. We continue to monitor the expectations placed upon social care providers by the CQC and their new approaches to inspection. Our internal Quality Team works with managers and staff across the Trust to monitor quality and performance and to provide guidance on regulatory issues.

Our workforce

The Trust currently employs 872 staff. This is made up of 330 full-time staff (more than 30 hours per week), 420 part-time staff (30 hours or less per week) and 122 relief staff who provide cover on an as required basis. Staff who work relief shifts are encouraged to sign a contract for full / part-time hours if they regularly work such hours across a sustained period. The Trust reports on its Gender Pay Gap every year. The most recent report indicated that the Trust had a median pay gap of -0.44% in favour of female staff, this is opposed to a UK wide figure of 7% in favour of male staff.

The Trust has always focused on paying staff at each level the same rate of pay regardless of the experience they have working in social care or the type of work they are undertaking. Pre pandemic this was viewed as the fairest way of sharing resources and ensuring that our staff were fairly paid for the work that they did. Post pandemic it has become clear that our current and future workforce places different values on different aspects of their employment and we will be undertaking a full review of our terms and conditions, pay rates, management structures and reward and recognition options in the coming financial period.

During the financial period under review the use of agency staff has reduced. Agency staff are predominantly used at a small number of our services. This tends to be at services with high staffing needs and where staffing ratios need to be maintained to ensure the needs of the individuals we support are appropriately responded to. Such services are usually located in areas with limited public transport and in areas where competition for the available workforce is high. They can also be services where the level of complexity is high, yet the fees being paid by our commissioners are insufficient to pay our staff a market premium for working there. Whilst we have seen an increase in the number of staff employed, reducing the need for Agency, each service has been tasked with looking at ways to continue to reduce this reliance on agency staffing, however if our commissioners continue to pay lower than required fee levels then we will be unable to offer the pay and terms and conditions necessary to attract and retain staff to work at these services. This will ultimately result in the Trust needing to re-evaluate the level of needs that can be supported or ceasing to provide these services. The total cost of Agency staff was £2,509,431 (2023/24 £3,380,498).

Page 22

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Health and Safety

We continue to work alongside North Yorkshire Fire Authority under a Primary Authority agreement. This relationship has proven mutually beneficial as it has helped both organisations understand the complexity of the work we undertake and to explore how we can work together to ensure our properties remain compliant but do not become overly institutional as we implement identified requirements following Fire Risk Assessments. Our capital improvement programme has started to identify work necessary to ensure that all the properties we operate services from, both owned by the Trust and by other landlords meet the required fire safety standards.

Our Health & Safety Committee meets regularly to identify areas of good practice, to share information related to concerns and actions required and to highlight learning from health and safety related case law and relevant publications. Trustees are invited to these meetings and attend whenever they are able. All health and safety concerns are reported to Trustees via the Audit and Risk Committee, and the Trustees review the organisation wide health and safety policy annually. We ensure that the individuals we support are involved in health and safety where practicable, this includes encouraging them to undertake their own fire safety checks within their own homes. In the next year we will be approaching all landlords that we work with to ensure that they are aware of their landlord responsibilities and that they have the necessary capital programmes in place to ensure compliance with the relevant fire safety regulations.

Safeguarding Children and Adults

As a regulated provider, the Trust takes its safeguarding responsibilities seriously. All Trustees, Independent Committee Members and staff are expected to regularly update their knowledge and awareness of safeguarding issues. As stated previously in this report, one Trustee holds additional responsibilities for ensuring safeguarding matters are addressed professionally and in a timely manner. The Nominated Individual role, which was previously held by the Chief Executive and then the previous Operations Director, now sits within the responsibilities of the Head of Quality, who was a former CQC Inspector. He meets with the Chief Executive regularly to ensure that all regulatory and compliance issues are addressed and reported to the relevant stakeholders, which includes the CQC, local authority, the individuals we support and where appropriate relatives. Regular safeguarding reports are taken to the Audit and Risk Committee, and incidents of concern are shared with the Chair and other Trustees as appropriate.

In all cases of safeguarding, we follow the relevant reporting procedures for the local authority and report all cases which meet the threshold for reporting to the CQC. Although we do not have a current relationship manager at the CQC, we do ask to talk to a CQC Inspector when a case merits discussion. If a case merits, we will also report the circumstances of the safeguarding concern to The Charity Commission.

Page 23

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Income from charitable activities was £25,320,193 (2023/24: £25,689,323). Other income, including income from generated funds and other income, was £478,382 (2023/24: £557,234) giving total income for the year of £25,798,575 (2023/24: £26,246,557).

Total expenditure for the year were £27,784,710 (2023/24: £27,514,574). Expenditure included property impairment of £228,210 (2023/24: £945,084)

The net expenditure before other recognised gains and losses was £1,986,135 (2023/2024: £1,268,017). After gains on investments of £74,413 (2023/24: £588,248), the net decrease in funds was £1,911,722 (2023/24: decrease of £679,769) and the net funds as at 31 March 2025 were £21,985,351 (2023/24: £23,897,073).

RESERVES POLICY

Free reserves as at 31 March 2025 were £5,168,884 (2023/24: £6,768,801). These are the net funds available for the Trust after deducting tangible assets of £6,531,667 (2023/24: £6,945,457), restricted funds of £239,988 (2023/24: £244,219) and designated funds of £10,044,812 (2023/24: £9,938,596). Designated funds include the Housing Benefit Designated Fund and the long-term investment fund. This fund is made up of investment portfolios managed by JM Finn & Co and Rathbones. The investments are managed on a long-term capital growth basis to ensure service provision for future beneficiaries.

The Trustees regularly analyse and review the level of reserves and consider that the free reserves of the Trust are sufficient to cover all known risk, liabilities and contingencies, to absorb setbacks and allow the Trust to take advantage of change and opportunity.

The Trustees continually review how the assets of the Trust can be best utilised to ensure that the objectives of the organisation are fulfilled, and the best possible return is provided to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust. The Trustees have agreed that subject to a suitable business case, the reserves held by the Trust can be used to purchase new housing and properties to develop new services or to assist with the implementation and delivery of strategically relevant development projects and activities.

The Trustees regularly review the level of reserves held. Reserves are held to manage short-term income volatility and to support opportunities that may arise during the year (subject to appropriate business planning). In line with the Reserves Policy set out in the 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts, work has begun to review how the reserves of Trust can best support the strategic growth and development aspirations set out in the Trusts strategic plan. This work will include a review of both the reserves policy and investment policy, including the Trusts approach to designated funds, with the aim of aligning the reserves and investment policies to support long-term strategic ambition. They note that much planning will be required during the coming financial period to ensure that any necessary changes in approaches to reserves and investments are sufficiently robust and are adaptable for future economic, environmental and societal challenges the Trust will face in the future.

The established target for Free Reserves is between 3 and 6 months of budgeted expenditure. Budgeted expenditure for 2025/26, excluding depreciation is £27.6mil, so the target for Free Reserves is between £6.9mil and £13.8mil. Free reserves as of 31[st] March 2025 were £5.2mil. The Trustees recognise that if needed the Designated Funds can be accessed at short notice and have therefore agreed that the current level of free reserves is acceptable whilst work on reviewing the use of reserves to support long-term strategic ambition is concluded.

Page 24

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Trust has referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing its objectives and in planning its future activities.

Public Benefit derived from the Trust's services and activities fall under the Charity Commission general heading of: "The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage." This heading is duly reflected in the objectives of the Trust which are fully disclosed on Page 7 of this report.

The Trust's main objectives are therefore to support both carers of and individuals with disabilities or chronic ill-health conditions or support people who experience complex disadvantages or barriers to employment or access to other community activities. This is achieved through the provision of services within the community or the provision of supported living accommodation or residential care. The Trust delivers these services to a range of disabled children, young people, adults and older people. The delivery of these types of service provision is felt to reflect fully the stated objectives of the Trust.

The Trust's objectives do not restrict the working of the organisation to a particular locality or region. In the main, however, the Trust serves the Yorkshire region and parts of the North-East of England. The Trust will continue to examine opportunities from other areas of the United Kingdom as they present themselves. A key strategic aim is for the Trust to encourage the individuals we support to become more active participants in their local communities, and we are looking at ways in which this can enhance their lives, but also how the Trust can use its assets to work more closely and in partnership with local community groups.

The Trust's objectives are to either complement statutory social care and health service provision or deliver such statutory services through contracted arrangement and as such they are designed to provide value for money and equal access, without restriction, within areas of operation. The Trust is mindful of prevailing social and economic conditions and has demonstrated through its continued ability to secure new contracts that it provides value for money services. Services are designed to meet not only the individual needs of service users but also the broad objectives of the government's policy to modernise social care and health services.

The Trust continues to use its financial and other resources to support the range of individuals and groups in need of help and support. Investment in both the fabric and quality of our customers’ accommodation as well as provision of additional training for staff in discharging their duties demonstrates the Trust’s commitment to continuous service improvements. Scheme donations are always invested in service improvements.

There is no detriment or harm arising from any of the organisation’s activities or aims. The Trust ensures through the Equality and Diversity Policy that it reaches out to all individuals or their families, by virtue of the individual’s disability or disadvantage, in offering services. No restrictions are in existence which limit the Trust’s ability to meet the needs of our customers whose requirements, defined by their disability or disadvantage, are such, that either Local Authority Social Services, Primary Care Trusts or other statutory agencies regard them as a priority for service provision. No restrictions are placed by the Trust on personal characteristics including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or other defining characteristics.

Page 25

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trust applies fees and charges for its services. The effect of these fees and charges does not restrict benefit only to those who can afford to pay fees. The ability of individual customers to meet the Trust’s fees and charges form part of the Local Authorities’ duties to assess financial contributions through standard financial assessment processes. Therefore, most of our individuals contribute towards their service cost following Local Authority financial assessment considering their own levels of income and entitlement to state benefits. People in poverty will receive greater financial help through the sponsoring Local Authority in accessing Trust services.

The Trust applies no private benefits to individuals or organisations (other than benefits people receive as a beneficiary) from carrying out its objectives.

INVESTMENT POWERS

The Trustees have the power to make any investments that they see fit. The Trustees approved the following investment benchmark for the financial year under review: the Trust investments should be managed with the objectives of generating a capital return over time, which matches or exceeds the WMA APCIMS Balanced Return Total Return Index.

2024/25 has seen the value of the Trusts’ investment portfolios increase in overall value, though we saw a downturn toward the end of the reporting period with the on-going war between Ukraine and Russia, the Gaza conflict and the impact of the US Trump Administration resulting in market volatility and instability. On-going challenges continue with the UK economic outlook presenting further medium-term instability. The Trust undertakes a low to medium level of risk approach to managing its investments. This prudent approach has served the Trust well in previous financial periods. Further review of the performance of the investments will be undertaken during the coming financial period with a view to aligning both the investment policy and reserves policy with the Trusts long-term strategic ambition.

In the year to 31st March 2025 the increase in the WMA APCIMS Balanced Return Total Return Index represented a capital appreciation of 4.61%. The Trust’s long-term portfolio underperformed against the benchmark of 4.61% with an actual appreciation of 2.23% this performance does not include the portfolio that is held on a low risk, short term basis. The Trustees receive quarterly valuations of the Trust’s portfolios with detailed performance information measured against the agreed benchmarks. This is all in line with the Trust’s investment policies which take Environmental Social and Governance concerns into account, and which have been discussed with our investment managers. During the year the Trust established an Investment Committee with responsibility for overseeing the Trust’s investments and to assist the Trust make best use of its assets.

INSURANCE

An indemnity policy has been taken out by the Trust on behalf of the Trustees as agreed by the Charity Commission. Our insurance brokers PIB Insurance Brokers have managed to find us appropriate insurance cover at a similar price and with a sufficient level of cover to the previous financial period.

Page 26

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The Trust recognises the value to the organisation of employing disabled individuals. The Trust’s company policy on employing people with disabilities has been developed to ensure continued employment, training and development for all staff. The following also applies:

• We are a registered disability confident employer

• We recruit to ensure that we get the best person for the role in line with the Equality Act 2010

• Appropriate adjustments are made to the recruitment process to facilitate a fair process and barriers to recruitment are removed

• Training and development is offered to everyone with appropriate adjustments made to ensure that it is accessible for everyone. Consideration is given to the type of training offered to ensure it is engaging and encompasses different learning styles

• Equality and diversity training is completed with our staff to raise awareness and to assist in removing barriers to recruitment and retention

• Regular Staff Development Sessions take place between line managers, and employees where life at the Trust can be discussed, and any concerns raised and addressed

• Access to Occupational Health and ‘Access to Work’ is encouraged to assist with continued employment.

During the coming financial period significant work will be undertaken to develop action plans to improve our ability to widely engage and involve staff, the individuals we support and the wider community. We are working in partnership with the National Centre for Diversity to undertake a Diversity HealthCheck and we will then use the findings from this exercise to develop how we recognise, adapt and properly respond to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues that affect our colleagues and the individuals we support both internally and externally.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

None

TRADING SUBSIDIARY

Wilf Ward Independent Living Ltd has remained dormant and engaged in no trading activities during the year.

Page 27

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Greenhouse Gas & Energy

Under section 465 & 466 of the Companies Act 2006, we are now required to include details of our UK greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

Under section 465 & 466 of the Companies Act 2006, we are now required to include details of our emissions and energy use.	Under section 465 & 466 of the Companies Act 2006, we are now required to include details of our emissions and energy use.	UK greenhouse g
UK Greenhouse gas emissions and energy use data for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025		1 April 2023 to 31 Mar 2024
Energy consumption used to calculate emissions (kWh)	1,145,981	1,184,525
Energy consumption break down (kWh) (optional) • gas, • electricity, • transport fuel	668,437 216,025 261,519	688,355 240,982 255,188
Scope 1 emissions in metric tonnes CO2e Gas consumption Owned transport – mini-buses Total scope 1	122.26 2.26	123.90 35.55
	124.52	159.45
Scope 2 emissions in metric tonnes CO2e Purchased electricity	44.73	49.90
Scope 3 emissions in metric tonnes CO2e Business travel in employee - owned vehicles	59.42	34.42
Total gross emissions in metric tonnes CO2e Intensity ratio	228.67	273.77
Tonnes CO2e per employee (906 (2024: 820)	0.25	0.29

Page 28

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Quantification and reporting methodology

We have followed the 2019 HM Government Environmental Reporting Guidelines. We have also used the GHG reporting Protocol – Corporate Standard and have used the 2020 UK Government’s Conversion Factors for Company Reporting.

Intensity measurement

The chosen intensity measurement ratio is total gross emissions in metric tonnes CO2e per employee.

Measures taken to improve energy efficiency.

We completed Phase 2 ESOS (reports previously issued 2019/20) and have shared findings re energy efficient lightbulbs, boiler temperature settings across all locations (i.e. not just within the locations audited). Subsequently boiler temperatures have been turned down and light fittings are being replaced once old ones have passed their useful life span. We are currently commissioning Phase 3 ESOS and expect this work to be undertaken by the end of 2025. As part of our longer-term financial planning, we will be reviewing the energy efficiency of all our properties and investment needed to ensure our properties can withstand the predicted extreme changes in temperature and environment which if left unaddressed will impact the comfort and usability of our properties for the individuals we support in the future.

TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT

The Trustees (who are also Directors of The Wilf Ward Family Trust Ltd for the purposes of Company Law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report (including the Strategic Report) and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law required the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the trustees must not approve the financial statement unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources including the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing these 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 2019 (FRS102);

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK 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 charitable company will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Page 29

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Disclosure of information to the auditor

In so far as the Trustees are aware:

• there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware; and

• the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.

This report, which incorporates the Strategic Report, was approved by the Trustees, in their capacity as Company Directors and signed on their behalf on 25th July 2025 by:

Professor Dianne Willcocks CBE Chair of Trustees 25 July 2025

Oliver Colling Trustee 25 July 2025

Page 30

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

We have audited the financial statements of The Wilf Ward Family Trust (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025, which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2025, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees' report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Page 31

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• the information given in the trustees' report, which includes the strategic report and the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the trustees' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the trustees' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Page 32

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

• the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

• we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charitable company through discussions with directors and other management, and from our commercial knowledge and experiences of the charity's sector;

• we focussed on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the charitable company, including the Charities Act 2011, Companies Act 2006, taxation legislation and data protection, employment and health and safety legislation (including CQC documentation);

• we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence throughout;

• identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non compliance throughout the audit.

We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company's financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by;

• making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and

• considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non compliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risks of fraud through management bias and override controls, we:

• performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

• tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;

• assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates set out in note 1 were indicative of potential bias; and

• investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

• agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;

• reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance; and

• enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the FRC's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities.

Page 33

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Signer ID: CRZCVPKXXZ... Laura Masheder (Senior statutory auditor)

for and on behalf of

BHP LLP Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors Rievaulx House 1 St Mary's Court Blossom Street York YO24 1AH

21/08/2025 GMT

Page 34

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

. Note Income from: Donations and legacies 3 Charitable activities 4 Investments 5 Other income 6 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds: Investment management fees 8 Other raising funds 7 Charitable activities 9 Property impairment 16 Total expenditure Net expenditure before net gains/(losses) on investments Net gains on investments 17 Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Net movement in funds Total funds carried forward 20	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 5,549 25,320,193 457,885 10,525	Restricted funds 2025 £ 4,423 - - -	Total funds 2025 £ 9,972 25,320,193 457,885 10,525	Total funds 2024 £ 50,333 25,689,323 486,195 20,706 26,246,557 72,704 13,526 26,483,260 945,084 27,514,574 (1,268,017) 588,248 (679,769) 24,576,842 (679,769) 23,897,073
	25,794,152	4,423	25,798,575
	76,781 - 27,471,065 228,210	- 8,654 - -	76,781 8,654 27,471,065 228,210
	27,776,056	8,654	27,784,710
	(1,981,904) 74,413	(4,231) -	(1,986,135) 74,413
	(1,907,491)	(4,231)	(1,911,722)
	23,652,854 (1,907,491)	244,219 (4,231)	23,897,073 (1,911,722)
	21,745,363	239,988	21,985,351

The Statement of financial activities complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006 and includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

Page 35

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

REGISTERED NUMBER: 07568318

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2025

Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 16 Investments 17 Current assets Debtors 18 Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 19 Net current assets Total net assets Charity funds Restricted funds 20 Unrestricted funds Designated funds 20 General funds 20 Revaluation reserve 20 Total unrestricted funds 20 Total funds	1,996,142 2,483,096	2025 £ 6,531,667 13,939,784	1,740,433 4,099,610	2024 £ 6,945,457 13,757,021 20,702,478 3,194,595 23,897,073 244,219 23,652,854 23,897,073
		20,471,451 1,513,900
	4,479,238 (2,965,338)		5,840,043 (2,645,448)
	10,044,812 9,334,397 2,366,154		9,938,596 11,077,903 2,636,355
		21,985,351
		239,988 21,745,363
		21,985,351

Page 36

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

BALANCE SHEET (CONTINUED) AS AT 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Professor Dianne Willcocks CBE Chair of Trustees

Oliver E Colling Trustee

Date: 25 July 2025

The notes on pages 39 to 62 form part of these financial statements.

Page 37

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Note Cash flows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities 23 Cash flows from investing activities Dividends and interest received from investments 5 Purchase of tangible fixed assets 16 Proceeds from sale of investments 17 Purchase of investments 17 Net cash provided by investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 24	2025 £ (1,878,642)	2024 £ (971,058) 486,195 (130,025) 5,695,301 (5,930,082) 121,389 (849,669) 5,343,371 4,493,702
	457,885 (87,407) 2,707,449 (2,726,522)
	351,405
	(1,527,237) 4,493,702
	2,966,465

Page 38

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

(A company limited by guarantee)

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. Accounting policies

1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

The Wilf Ward Family Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

The financial statements are presented in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

1.2 Company status

The Trust is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page one. In the event of the Trust being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the Trust.

1.3 Going concern

The Trustees have prepared long term financial forecasts for the period to 31 March 2029 and subjected these forecasts to sensitivity analysis which shows that they have sufficient reserves to be able to continue for the foreseeable future. They will continue to monitor the impact on income and appropriate action will be taken as necessary.

Due to the level of free reserves held, the Trustees have concluded that the charity remains a going concern whilst such viable options are available to it. The Trustees therefore continue to adopt the going concern basis of preparation for these financial statements.

Page 39

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

(A company limited by guarantee)

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. Accounting policies (continued)

1.4 Income

Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

Voluntary income is received by way of donations, legacies and grants. Donations are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.

For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the Trust is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the Trust that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the Trust has been notified of the executor's intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the Trust, or the Trust is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.

Income from charitable activities includes income recognised as earned (as the related service is provided) under contract. Where income is received in advance of a specified service it is deferred until the charity is entitled to that income.

Investment income is included when receivable by the charity.

1.5 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party. Expenditure is classified under activity headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Cost of raising funds relate to investment management fees.

Charitable activities comprise 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.

Support costs comprise the central costs and overheads of providing services. They are allocated between charitable activities based on the number of contracted staff in each area.

Governance costs comprise of cost of external advice, audit, costs of trustees' meetings and other activities related solely to the governance of the Trust.

Irrecoverable VAT is written off in the period in which it arises.

Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the charitable company to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities events and non-charitable trading.

Page 40

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. Accounting policies (continued)

1.5 Expenditure (continued)

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the charitable company's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

1.6 Government grants

Government grants relating to tangible fixed assets are treated as deferred income and released to the Statement of Financial Activities over the expected useful lives of the assets concerned. Other grants are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities as the related expenditure is incurred.

1.7 Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charitable company; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.

1.8 Gifts in Kind

In the event that a gift is in the form of an asset other than cash or a financial asset traded on a recognised stock exchange, recognition is subject to the value of the gift being reliably measurable with a degree of reasonable accuracy and the title of the asset having been transferred to the charity. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts.

1.9 Taxation

The charitable company is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charitable company is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

Page 41

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

(A company limited by guarantee)

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. Accounting policies (continued)

1.10 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Individual fixed assets for existing schemes costing £1,000 or more are capitalised at cost, together with all set up costs of new schemes.

Tangible fixed assets are carried at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost or valuation of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives.

Depreciation is provided on the following bases:

Freehold property	- 2% straight line
Freehold land	- Not depreciated
Motor vehicles	- 25% straight line
Fixtures and fittings	- 15% straight line
Office equipment	- 25% / 50% straight line

Freehold land is not depreciated.

1.11 Investments

Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction cost and subsequently measured at fair value at the Balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. The Statement of Financial Activities includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluation and disposals throughout the year.

1.12 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

1.13 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

1.14 Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Trust has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

Page 42

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

(A company limited by guarantee)

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. Accounting policies (continued)

1.15 Financial instruments

The charitable company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

1.16 Operating leases

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the lease term.

Benefits received and receivable as an incentive to sign an operating lease are recognised on a straight line basis over the lease term until the date the rent is expected to be adjusted to the prevailing market rate.

1.17 Pensions

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the charitable company to the fund in respect of the year.

1.18 Employee benefits

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense. The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee's services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

1.19 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charitable company and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charitable company for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.

Page 43

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

(A company limited by guarantee)

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

2. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:

The charitable company makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of cau sing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below.

Critical areas of judgement:

Depreciation

The depreciation policy has been set accordingly to the experience of the useful lives and residual values of a typical asset in each category. The depreciation charged during the year was £272,512 (2024: £322,625) which the Trustees feel is a fair reflection of the benefits derived from the consumption of the tangible fixed assets in use during the period.

Bad debt provision

Outstanding trade debtor balances are reviewed on a line by line basis to identify possible amounts where a provision is required. Management closely manage the collection of trade debtors and therefore are able to identify balances where there is uncertainty about its recoverability, and determine what provision is required (if any).

Property valuation

The charitable company has had all properties professionally valued during the prior year. Whilst the charitable company applies a policy of recognising tangible fixed assets at cost, where the valuation shows an indication of impairment this has been recognised in the accounts.

Page 44

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

3. Income from donations and legacies

Donations Legacies Total 2024	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 5,549 -	Restricted funds 2025 £ 4,423 -	Total funds 2025 £ 9,972 -	Total funds 2024 £ 5,343 44,990 50,333
	5,549	4,423	9,972
	47,058	3,275	50,333

4. Income from charitable activities

Registered care homes Supported Living Community services Other income Total 2024	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 4,487,656 20,636,542 83,570 112,425	Total funds 2025 £ 4,487,656 20,636,542 83,570 112,425	Total funds 2024 £ 5,113,774 19,891,007 96,070 588,472 25,689,323
	25,320,193	25,320,193
	25,689,323	25,689,323

Page 45

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

5. Investment income

Dividends and interest from investments Bank interest Total 2024 Other income Other income Total 2024	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 359,398 98,487	Total funds 2025 £ 359,398 98,487	Total funds 2024 £ 361,492 124,703 486,195 Total funds 2024 £ 20,706
	457,885	457,885
	486,195	486,195
	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 10,525	Total funds 2025 £ 10,525
	20,706	20,706

6. Other income

Page 46

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

7. Expenditure on raising funds

Fundraising trading expenses

Fundraising expenses Total 2024 Investment management costs Investment management fees Total 2024	Restricted funds 2025 £ 8,654	Total funds 2025 £ 8,654	Total funds 2024 £ 13,526
			Total funds 2024 £ 72,704
	13,526	13,526
	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 76,781	Total funds 2025 £ 76,781
	72,704	72,704

8. Investment management costs

Page 47

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

9. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Summary by fund type

Registered care homes Supported Living Other services Governance costs (Note 11) Total 2024	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 5,572,100 21,709,585 135,332 54,048	Total 2025 £ 5,572,100 21,709,585 135,332 54,048	Total 2024 £ 5,802,510 20,515,714 128,199 36,837 26,483,260
	27,471,065	27,471,065
	26,483,260	26,483,260

10. Analysis of expenditure by activities

Registered care homes Supported Living Other services Governance costs (Note 11) Total 2024	Direct staff costs 2025 £ 4,030,656 16,832,550 1,763 -	Direct service costs 2025 £ 705,982 1,298,602 111,114 -	Support costs 2025 £ 835,462 3,578,433 22,455 54,048	Total funds 2025 £ 5,572,100 21,709,585 135,332 54,048	Total funds 2024 £ 5,802,510 20,515,714 128,199 36,837 26,483,260
	20,864,969	2,115,698	4,490,398	27,471,065
	20,412,751	2,283,655	3,786,854	26,483,260

The allocation of expenditure is based on commissioned hours across the activities.

Page 48

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

10. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)

Analysis of support costs

Staff costs Office property costs Office costs Advertising, recruitment and training Depreciation Other Insurance Governance costs	Total funds 2025 £ 2,910,964 229,187 605,310 385,085 87,300 82,786 135,718 54,048	Total funds 2024 £ 2,425,659 243,375 510,896 325,731 108,023 8,378 127,955 36,837 3,786,854
	4,490,398

Staff costs within support costs contain employment costs relating to Finance, People & OD, Digital and Estates, Quality, Marketing and the Leadership Team. The basis of allocation of support costs has changed during the current year from the comparative basis, and there are now more categories of support costs.

11. Governance costs

Audit and accountancy fees Trustees' meetings and governance Total 2024	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 41,346 12,702	Total funds 2025 £ 41,346 12,702	Total funds 2024 £ 27,529 9,308 36,837
	54,048	54,048
	36,837	36,837

Page 49

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

12. Auditor's remuneration

Fees payable to the charitable company's auditor and its associates for the audit of the charitable company's annual accounts Fees payable to the charitable company's auditor in respect of: Accountancy services	2025 £ 20,890 4,010	2024 £ 19,975 3,500

13. Net income/(expenditure)

This is stated after charging:

Depreciation of tangible fixed assets: - owned by the charity Operating lease charges Staff costs Wages and salaries Social security costs Contribution to defined contribution pension schemes Agency staff costs	2025 £ 272,513 383,569 2025 £ 19,302,347 1,533,767 430,388	2025 £ 272,513 383,569	2024 £ 322,625 372,970 2024 £ 17,702,940 1,363,551 391,421 19,457,912 3,380,498 22,838,410
	21,266,502 2,509,431
	23,775,933

14. Staff costs

Page 50

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

14. Staff costs (continued)

The average number of persons employed by the charitable company during the year was as follows:

Central Administration Residential Supported Living Short Breaks	2025 No. 67 131 672 -	2024 No. 64 135 635 14
	870	848

The average headcount expressed as full-time equivalents was:

Full time equivalent	2025 No. 554	2024 No. 532

The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was:

	2025	2024
	No.	No.
In the band £60,001 - £70,000	5	4
In the band £70,001 - £80,000	1	-
In the band £80,001 - £90,000	1	1
In the band £90,001 - £100,000	-	1
In the band £130,001 - £140,000	1	1

The total amount of employee benefits (including employer's national insurance and pension contributions) received by key management personnel was £425,434 (2024: £360,635). The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise of the Chief Executive Officer, Director of Resources and Director of Operations.

15. Trustees' remuneration and expenses

During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2024 - £nil).

During the year ended 31 March 2025, no trustees incurred expenses (2024 - £668 paid to 3 trustees in relation to training courses, the reimbursements of travel expenses and other minor expenditure).

Page 51

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

16. Tangible fixed assets

Cost or valuation At 1 April 2024 Additions Disposals At 31 March 2025 Depreciation At 1 April 2024 Charge for the year On disposals Impairment charge At 31 March 2025 Net book value At 31 March 2025 At 31 March 2024	Freehold property £ 9,980,506 - (300)	Motor vehicles £ 305,006 - (18,795)	Fixtures and fittings £ 459,860 66,510 (1,804)	Office equipment £ 943,405 20,897 -	Total £ 11,688,777 87,407 (20,899)
	9,980,206	286,211	524,566	964,302	11,755,285
	3,304,059 149,075 - 228,210	245,127 23,370 (18,620) -	363,534 32,778 (1,804) -	830,600 67,289 - -	4,743,320 272,512 (20,424) 228,210
	3,681,344	249,877	394,508	897,889	5,223,618
	6,298,862	36,334	130,058	66,413	6,531,667
	6,676,447	59,879	96,326	112,805	6,945,457

Non depreciable land with a cost of £1,658,997 (2024: £1,658,997) is held within freehold property.

During the year the Trustees carried out an impairment review of the freehold property. It was found that two properties were held at values in excess of market value and all other properties are carried at less than market value. Accordingly an exceptional impairment of £228,210 was recognised in these financial statements.

The professional valuations completed at 31 March 2024 indicated that the market value of all freehold land and property was £10,710,000.

Page 52

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

17. Fixed asset investments

Fixed asset investments	Fixed asset investments
Listed investments		Total 2025	Total 2024
Valuation At 1 April 2024 Additions Disposals Revaluations At 31 March 2025 Investment cash (note 24) At 31 March 2025	£ 13,362,929 2,726,522 (2,707,449) 74,413 13,456,415 483,369 13,939,784	£ 13,362,929 2,726,522 (2,707,449) 74,413 13,456,415 483,369 13,939,784	£ 12,539,900 5,930,082 (5,695,301) 588,248 13,362,929 394,092 13,757,021

Included in listed investments are investments held in the UK with a market value of £8,430,172 (2024: £8,515,689). The remaining listed investments are held overseas and have a market value of £5,026,243 (2024: £4,847,240).

Revaluation Reserve

Revaluation Reserve
Listed investments at valuation Historical cost of listed investments Donated assets at value transferred in (deemed cost) Unrealised gains on listed investments	2025 £ 13,456,415 (8,300,422) (2,789,839)	2024 £ 13,362,929 (7,936,735) (2,789,839) 2,636,355
	2,366,154

Page 53

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

(A company limited by guarantee)

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

18. Debtors

Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income	2025 £ 1,300,388 149,450 546,304	2024 £ 946,419 137,525 656,489 1,740,433
	1,996,142

19. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Other taxation and social security Accruals and deferred income Deferred income at 1 April 2024 Income deferred during the year Amounts released from previous periods	2025 £ 183,749 320,808 2,460,781	2024 £ 275,618 283,546 2,086,284 2,645,448 2024 £ 1,117,870 936,363 (1,117,870) 936,363
	2,965,338
	2025 £ 936,363 1,207,323 (936,363)
	1,207,323

Deferred income relates to amounts received from local authorities in advance of services being provided.

Page 54

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. Statement of funds

Statement of funds	Statement of funds
Statement of funds - current year Balance at 1 April 2024 £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Supported People 347,709 Long Term Investment Fund 9,590,887 9,938,596 General funds General Funds 11,077,903 Revaluation reserve 2,636,355 13,714,258 Total Unrestricted funds 23,652,854		Income £ 119,276 -	Expenditure £ (106,484) -	Transfers in/out £ - 93,424	Gains/ (Losses) £ - -	Balance at 31 March 2025 £ 360,501 9,684,311 10,044,812 9,334,397 2,366,154 11,700,551 21,745,363
	9,938,596	119,276	(106,484)	93,424	-
	11,077,903 2,636,355	25,674,876 -	(27,669,572) -	251,190 (344,614)	- 74,413
	13,714,258	25,674,876	(27,669,572)	(93,424)	74,413
	23,652,854	25,794,152	(27,776,056)	-	74,413

Supported People: This is money put aside by the Trustees for the Supported Living schemes which has not been spent but will provide a reserve for future years' replacements of white goods, laundry equipment and internal decorating.

Long Term Investment Fund: This fund is made up of investment portfolios managed by JM Finn & Co and Investec Wealth & Management, the investments are invested on a long term capital growth basis to ensure service provision for future beneficiaries. The transfer to unrestricted funds represents movement on these funds such that the carried forward value of the fund agrees to the fair value of the portfolios.

The transfer from the revaluation reserve represents realised gains/losses in the year.

Page 55

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. Statement of funds (continued)

Restricted funds Central Fund Other Restricted Funds Total of funds	Balance at 1 April 2024 £ 192,208 52,011	Income £ - 4,423	Expenditure £ - (8,654)	Transfers in/out £ - -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - -	Balance at 31 March 2025 £ 192,208 47,780 239,988 21,985,351
	244,219	4,423	(8,654)	-	-
	23,897,073	25,798,575	(27,784,710)	-	74,413

Restricted funds

The Central Fund includes a donation made to the Trust to support development of a hydrotherapy fund. The balance of this at 1 April 2024 was £166,089. The hydrotherapy pool project is not progressing and in 2024 the donor confirmed these funds should now be used for other restricted purposes with £116,262 to be used for an Active Citizenship Project and £49,827 for the Wishbone holiday and events fund. The donor made a donation of £173 during the year to the Wishbone holiday and events fund.

Other Restricted Funds: This represents money given for specific purposes.

Page 56

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. Statement of funds (continued)

Statement of funds - prior year Balance at 1 April 2023 £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Supported People 363,249 Long Term Investment Fund 8,949,950 9,313,199 General funds General Funds 13,380,376 Revaluation reserve 1,628,797 15,009,173 Total Unrestricted funds 24,322,372	Statement of funds - prior year Balance at 1 April 2023 £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Supported People 363,249 Long Term Investment Fund 8,949,950 9,313,199 General funds General Funds 13,380,376 Revaluation reserve 1,628,797 15,009,173 Total Unrestricted funds 24,322,372	Income £ 112,795 -	Expenditure £ (128,335) -	Transfers in/out £ - 640,937	Gains/ (Losses) £ - -	Balance at 31 March 2024 £ 347,709 9,590,887 9,938,596 11,077,903 2,636,355 13,714,258 23,652,854
	9,313,199	112,795	(128,335)	640,937	-
	13,380,376 1,628,797	26,130,487 -	(27,372,713) -	(1,060,247) 419,310	- 588,248
	15,009,173	26,130,487	(27,372,713)	(640,937)	588,248
	24,322,372	26,243,282	(27,501,048)	-	588,248

Page 57

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

20. Statement of funds (continued)

Restricted funds Central Fund Other Restricted Funds Total of funds	Balance at 1 April 2023 £ 192,208 62,262	Income £ - 3,275	Expenditure £ - (13,526)	Transfers in/out £ - -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - -	Balance at 31 March 2024 £ 192,208 52,011 244,219 23,897,073
	254,470	3,275	(13,526)	-	-
	24,576,842	26,246,557	(27,514,574)	-	588,248

Page 58

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

21. Summary of funds

Summary of funds - current year

Designated funds General funds Restricted funds Summary of funds Designated funds General funds Restricted funds	Balance at 1 April 2024 £ 9,938,596 13,714,258 244,219	Income £ 119,276 25,674,876 4,423	Expenditure £ (106,484) (27,669,572) (8,654)	Transfers in/out £ 93,424 (93,424) -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - 74,413 -	Balance at 31 March 2025 £ 10,044,812 11,700,551 239,988 21,985,351 Balance at 31 March 2024 £ 9,938,596 13,714,258 244,219 23,897,073
	23,897,073	25,798,575	(27,784,710)	-	74,413
	- prior year Balance at 1 April 2023 £ 9,313,199 15,009,173 254,470	Income £ 112,795 26,130,487 3,275	Expenditure £ (128,335) (27,372,713) (13,526)	Transfers in/out £ 640,937 (640,937) -	Gains/ (Losses) £ - 588,248 -
	24,576,842	26,246,557	(27,514,574)	-	588,248

22. Analysis of net assets between funds

Analysis of net assets between funds - current year

Tangible fixed assets Fixed asset investments Current assets Creditors due within one year Total	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 6,531,667 13,939,784 4,239,250 (2,965,338)	Restricted funds 2025 £ - - 239,988 -	Total funds 2025 £ 6,531,667 13,939,784 4,479,238 (2,965,338) 21,985,351
	21,745,363	239,988

Page 59

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

22. Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)

Analysis of net assets between funds - prior year

Tangible fixed assets Fixed asset investments Current assets Creditors due within one year Total	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 6,945,457 13,757,021 5,595,824 (2,645,448)	Restricted funds 2024 £ - - 244,219 -	Total funds 2024 £ 6,945,457 13,757,021 5,840,043 (2,645,448) 23,897,073
	23,652,854	244,219

23. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net expenditure for the year after investment gains/(losses) (as per Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Impairment of tangible fixed assets Gains on investments Dividends and interest receivable from investments Loss on the sale of fixed assets Increase in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors Net cash used in operating activities	2025 £ (1,911,722)	2024 £ (679,769)
	272,512 228,210 (74,413) (457,885) 475 (255,709) 319,890	322,625 945,084 (588,248) (486,195) 521 (307,662) (177,414) (971,058)
	(1,878,642)

Page 60

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

24. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

Cash in hand Investment cash (note 17) Total cash and cash equivalents	2025 £ 2,483,096 483,369	2024 £ 4,099,610 394,092 4,493,702
	2,966,465

25. Analysis of changes in net debt

Cash at bank and in hand Investment cash	At 1 April 2024 £ 4,099,610 394,092	Cash flows £ (1,616,514) 89,277	At 31 March 2025 £ 2,483,096 483,369 2,966,465
	4,493,702	(1,527,237)

26. Pension commitments

The Trust operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Trust in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the Trust to the fund and amounted to £430,388 (2024: £391,421). At the year end there was a balance of£83,921 (2024: £nil) outstanding.

27. Operating lease commitments

At 31 March 2025 the charitable company had commitments to make future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:

Not later than 1 year Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years Later than 5 years	2025 £ 348,510 214,420 75,926	2024 £ 169,215 183,870 103,995 457,080
	638,856

Page 61

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987

THE WILF WARD FAMILY TRUST

(A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

28. Related party transactions

The charitable company has not entered into any related party transaction during the current or previous year, no are there any outstanding balances owing between related parties and the charitable company at 31 March 2025 or 31 March 2024.

29. Controlling party

The charitable company is controlled by its members who are also the Trustees. No individual member has overall control.

Page 62

Document ID: 7232c7ed7e15c56db1d9262f95b2fc8775bc2427381fbb54a3ecf20c6f6f6987