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2022-01-31-accounts

Support U diversity matters TRUSTEE REPORT PERIOD ENDING 31" JANUARY 2022 Comparty Nts.-077Q8702 ACharityfE£iStetèd In No.- 1145334

SUPPORT U LTD Report of the Management Committee for the period ended 31 January 2022

The Management Committee presents its directors’ report and financial statements for the period ended 31 January 2022.

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: Support U Ltd Charity registration number: 1145334 Company registration number: 07708702 Registered Office and operational address: 9 Greyfriars Road Reading, Berkshire. RG1 1NU

Management Committee

Mr A Stonehill-Brooks Chairperson Mr D Fender Trustee Mr T Harris Trustee Miss A Henley Trustee Mr M Lawrence Trustee Miss Roxanne Potts Treasurer (Appointed 8[th] June 2021) Mr William Goldsmith Trustee (Appointed 21[st] September 2021)

– Independent Examiner Rachel Eden, Holy Brook Associates, Curious Lounge, 1st Floor, Pinnacle Building, Tudor Road, Reading, England, RG1 1NH.

Bankers – Barclays Bank PLC, 90-93 Broad Street, Reading RG1 2AP

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

Structure, Governance and Management

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 18 July 2011 and registered as a charity on 9 January 2012. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

All members of the Management Committee give their time voluntarily and received no benefits from the charity.

The Management Committee has expanded to include new members in order to strengthen the governance model of the Charity and now consists of 7 members. The Committee still believes there are opportunities to diversify and expand the group and as such will secure an additional committee member in the next financial period focused on Inclusion and Belonging. The Charity continues to operate an open-ended Trustee recruitment program for new individuals to apply to join the Trustee Board, utilising local advertisement methods (such as Reading Voluntary Action) and website-based advertisements.

When recruiting, potential Trustees are requested to complete an application form which is presented to the chair of trustees. The chair of trustees is permitted to scrutinise applications to ensure that the new trustees bring value and input to the Board for the benefit of the charity. If the application is approved, the trustee is invited to attend the next scheduled meeting to get a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a trustee before committing to the role. At this meeting, the candidate is provided with the Charity Commission’s CC3 “The Essential Trustee What you need to know” guide and talked through the main tasks completed by the Trustee Board. Every trustee is then given a formal induction by a member of the Trustees and is expected to complete E-Learning training sessions which include courses on Safeguarding and Management before commencing trustee duties. Furthermore, each trustee is required to attend a training course which covers the essential elements of the Trustee Role and is provided by our local authorityapproved provider.

Purpose and Aims

Our charity’s purposes as set out in the objects contained in the company’s memorandum of association are to:

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

Ensuring our work delivers our aims

We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help.

The review also helps us ensure our aim, objectives and activities remained focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the Management Committee consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

Our Work

Following the very difficult year experienced within the COVID pandemic, the charity, its volunteers, and staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure continued support during and post lockdowns. From online delivery, to in person peer-to-peer support groups, we have seen increased numbers of service users interacting with our provisions and accessing dedicated caseworker support for extended periods.

The charity has therefore committed to further investments in retaining more caseworkers in paid positions to meet this demand. The team have stepped up immensely to support a wide array of requests and in some cases, very distressing and emotional situations for our service users.

The technological investments required to sustain the increased service provisions are also reflected in our cost base, alongside very kind donations from a variety of software providers including Zendesk, Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce and PeopleHR who deliver our ticketing system, operating systems, web hosting infrastructure, sales, and HR systems respectively.

During this period, our specially trained expert caseworkers have supported and responded to 3,385 calls and 2,156 emails/chats/social messages equating to 5,541 queries across the year. This represents an increase Year-on-Year of 22.94%. Queries continue to expand in need and complexity, with the charity continuing to develop and enhance its onboarding/training scheme for its staff and volunteers. A noticeable investment was made in continuing to train and develop individual team members, primarily in areas that are new or developing for the charity.

Throughout the year, our core service provisions have been maintained to include peer-to-peer support groups, dedicated phonelines/chat/email for 1:1 support and counselling. We have also seen the launch of the telephone-based befriending service and preparations for our new LGBT+ Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence service. This new service, funded by the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner and the MOJ, aims to assist LGBT+ victims of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence through the process of seeking support, progressing (or not) with the criminal justice system, whilst providing both independent and institutional advocacy. Our practitioners work with survivors to form individualised safety and support plans, with the intention to minimise/reduce risks and harms, uphold and represent the concerns, wishes, and needs of the survivor, continuously prioritising our client’s safety. This service is due to launch in the next year.

Our business and education service provisions have been noticeably reduced during this financial period, which is directly a result of continued lockdowns and businesses focusing on working from home environments. The charity aims to refresh and relaunch these services going into the new financial year, to ensure that LGBT+ individuals have their voices heard, recognised and supported in the work and educational sectors.

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

A number of key projects have completed during this period, including our heritage-based project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Despite the challenges faced by the pandemic, the team were able to successfully launch and complete the project to the original specified plan, with minimal disruption, adapting some of the delivered content to online resources so that the legacy of this project and the voices of individuals it has uncovered can continue ongoing.

In relation to the ongoing governance of the charity, it has been a critical focus of the trustee board to identify additional specialist individuals to enhance the board through the appointment of new trustees. With this dedicated focus, we have been able to strengthen our board further with specialists in Finance and Education, bring the total number of board members to 7. The trustees will continue to identify 1 further trustee with demonstrated expertise in diverse intersectional LGBT+ groups to enable us to ensure our services meet the needs of all parts of the LGBT+ communities.

Each year, we aim to recognise the endless support demonstrated by our volunteers and staff in the delivery of our service provisions. Simply put, the charity would not be able to continue to provide any of our services to members of the public without this team’s unwavering dedication. Feedback from service users continues to be extremely strong with outstanding comments of appreciation being very normal from our client groups.

Overall, the trustee board continues to be impressed and incredibly proud of all the work that this organization is able to achieve year-on-year, and despite setbacks, increasing client needs and ever challenging financial squeezing, always enables our service users to receive the best-in-class support that we have become known for.

Financial Review

– The charity entered this year with a clear focus diversify our funding streams to become more effective within our core operations. This was particularly important as we entered the year with so many unknowns due to the pandemic. We also had an additional burden of trying to secure new premises as our tenancy came to an end in August 2021. Given the challenges we faced, the board decided to invest in staff training and marketing. Investing in staff training and marketing supported us in securing more grant funding whilst also driving an increase donations from the general public. As a result of this combined success the charity is now able to hold an adequate level of reserves, alongside a reasonable amount to try and secure new premises.

Whilst unrestricted income has increased, we were incredibly vigilant with core cost expenditure throughout the year. We found it particularly hard to find an office solution within budget. However, we were able to secure a low-cost temporary option. This allowed us to keep rent and maintenance costs low whilst ensuring the basic requirements were met. Whilst this was a very low- cost option, it wasn’t an option available to us in the long term. This will continue to be a priority in the next financial year therefore we can expect to see an increase in our building costs in the next financial period. Throughout our search for new office space we have also seen an increase in the market which made securing office space a real challenge. As we come to the end of the financial year we now feel that we have a reasonable amount of funding to help us secure a new office should we need it. In terms of staff costs, we only made personnel changes when additional funding was secured for that particular role.

Principle funding sources

Despite the ongoing challenges that were presented at the start of the financial year post COVID, the charity

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

has had increasing success in our funding applications and increased level of donations. This was due to our service offering of specialist LGBT+ Domestic and Sexual Violence support services. Two of our staff members were enrolled on specialist courses which allowed us to generate more funds, which in turn has increased our level of impact.

As a result of the uplevelling of these funding sources, we have also seen an increase in our associated costs as we meet the additional needs that are required with multiple new resources.

Through this combination, the charity has been able to fulfill the ambition of the board to build further on these unrestricted funding sources to enable us to have a better funding mix and offer specialist services such as those for domestic violence provisions.

Plans for future periods

The charity will continue on its journey to diversify its revenue streams, namely through decreasing its reliance on project grant funding and increasing business revenues. We are continuing to reduce our cost basis and review items of expenditure to ensure we grow our impact at a sustainable level. We are still yet to find new premises that fulfil the charity's needs but through the generous donations and our success in securing grants we are confident that we can now find a solution in the next financial year.

We have received dedicated support from Lloyds Bank Foundation to enable the charity to focus on its development needs, which includes work on awareness and financial stability.

Reserves Policy

Each year, the Management Committee continues to review our available funds and reserves to ensure sound financial planning within the organisation. Following the introduction of the Charity’s “ Financial Expenditure ” policy which incorporated a number of our approaches, rules and policies on expenditure and commitments, the trustees have been reviewing the financial position of the charity in a more robust and comprehensible way whilst ensuring regular governance of the charity’s funds . This document also forms part of the onboarding process for all new employees, volunteers and trustees to ensure that we all operate in a consistent and proactive manner when it comes to use of funds and reserves. The Management Committee therefore examined the charity’s requ irements for reserves in light of the main risks to the organisation. It has established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets held by the charity should be between 3 and 6 months of the core funding expenditure. Given that ongoing committed expenditure has increased in the last successive periods, the Management Committee have reviewed the reserves policy during this financial period up to £80,000. The reserves are needed to meet the working capital requirements of the charity and the Management Committee are confident that at this level they would be able to continue the current activities of the charity in the event of a significant drop in funding. In the short term the Management Committee continues to consider the extent to which existing activities and expenditure could be curtailed, should such circumstances arise.

Financial Position at year end: £200,538

Approved on behalf of the trustees

_____ Andrew Stonehill-Brooks - Chairperson 10[th] October 2022

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

SUPPORT U LIMITED

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (incorporating Income and Expenditure account) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 January 2022

Note
Income
Donations and Grants
2
Business Services Income
3
Total Income
Expenditure
4
Net Income/(Expenditure)
Other Recognised gains and losses
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total Funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
£
£
144,864
85,659
7,891
-		 Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
230,523
222,989
7,891
14,049
152,756
85,659
58,767
110,088
93,989
-24,429
-
-
93,989
-24,429
86,423
44,554
180,413
20,126		 238,415
237,037
168,854
159,856
69,560
77,181
-
-
69,560
77,181
130,978
53,798
200,538
130,978

There are no recognised gains and losses other than those passing through the income and expenditure account. All income and expenditures are in respect of the charitable company’s continuing activities.

Support U Ltd

Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

SUPPORT U LIMITED

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 JANUARY 2022

Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible Assets
7
Current Assets
Debtors
8
Bank and Cash
Creditors: amounts due within one year
9
Net Current Assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year
Total Net Assets
Represented by:
Restricted Funds
10
Unrestricted Funds
Reserved Funding
14
Total Funds		 £
2,244
199,517		 2022
£
3,989		 £
1,180
126,580		 2021
£
3,931
3,989
196,550		 3,931
127,047
201,761
5,211		 127,760
713
200,538
-		 130,978
-
200,538 130,978
20,125
120,413
60,000		 44,554
26,423
60,000
200,538 130,977

For the period ending 31 January 2022 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006. No member of the company has deposited a notice, pursuant to section 476, requiring an audit of these financial statements under the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Act and for preparing financial statements that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of its financial year and of its profit or loss for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts, so far as applicable to the company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008).

The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 20[th] September 2022 and signed on their behalf

Andrew Stonehill-Brooks Director and Trustee

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

SUPPORT U LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 JANUARY 2022

1 Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows.

a Basis of preparation

The accounts are prepared in accordance with the accounting regulations set out under the Charities Act 2011, and with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP2015), issued by the Charity Commission; with the Companies Act 2006 and the Financial Reporting Standard 102.

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value, unless otherwise stated below. The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

b Funds

Restricted funds are funds which must be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by the donor or the terms of a specific appeal. Expenditure which meets this criteria is drawn from the fund. Unrestricted funds are those funds which can be used for any purpose in furtherance of the charitable objects. Unrestricted funds include designated funds where the trustees have, at their discretion, temporarily set aside resources for a specific purpose.

c Income

Income is included in the accounts once the charity has entitlement, the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability and there is the probability of receipt.

Earned income is included in the period in which the service is provided, if any performance conditions attached have been met or are fully within the control of the charity.

Donations are included when given, together with an estimate of the related gift aid due thereon.

Donated services are included in the accounts when received at the value of the gift to the charity provided the value of the gift can be measure reliably. The equivalent amount is recognised as an expense under the appropriate category. Legacies are included when the date of probate is ascertained and the amount receivable can be reliably estimated. Income which is subject to conditions that the charity has yet to fulfil, or which is specifically for use in a future accounting period, is treated as deferred income.

d Expenditure

Expenditure is included on an accruals basis when incurred, that is when a legal or constructive obligation arises, and includes related irrecoverable VAT. Future liabilities are included at the best estimate of the amount required to settle them. Future liabilities are included at the best estimate of the amount required to settle them.

e Pensions

The charity makes contributions to an employer defined contribution scheme for eligible employees, which are included in the accounts when they become payable.

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

SUPPORT U LIMITED

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 JANUARY 2022

2. Donations and Grants
Grants:
Heritage Lottery Fund
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
University of Reading
People’s Health Trust
Reading Borough Council
Marsh Christian Trust
Thames Valley Police/MOJ
LGBT Consortium/NET
Metro Charity/Comic Relief
Lloyds Bank Foundation
Architectural Heritage Fund
Lloyds Bank Foundation/DCMS
The National Lottery Fund
Berkshire Community Foundation
NHS Charities Together
Sovereign Housing
Department for Work and Pensions
Donations:
Gifts in Kind: Software
Individual Donations
Gift Aid
3. Fees and Charges
Training + Development Services
Consultancy
Other trading activities		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
£
£
-
5,698
2,000
-
4,410
-
21,187
27,143
-
-
-
-
42,980
75
-
-
-
30,000
-
-
7,941
-
-
-
-
-
4,353
-
3,500
1,415
-
5,022
-
60,015
-
14,785
-
-
-		 Total
Total
2022
2021
£
£
5,698
30,360
2,000
-
4,410
-
21,187
10,783
27,143
-
0
300
42,980
22,598
75
9,500
0
9,535
30,000
20,000
7,941
-
0
24,572
0
7,647
4,353
2,535
3,500
-
1,415
-
5,022
-
60,015
52,756
14,785
32,403
0
-
144,864
85,659		 230,523
222,989
£
£
4,905
-
2,430
-
556
-		 £
£
4,905
2,654
2,430
9,885
556
1,510
7,891
0		 7,891
14,049

Support U Ltd

Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

4. Expenditure
Accountancy Fees
Activities Expenses
Advertising & Marketing
Bank Charges and Interest
Business Rates
Cleaning & Waste Disposal
Company Filing Costs
Consultancy & Professional Fees
Consumables
Cost of Goods Sold
Depreciation Expense
Direct Expenses
Employee Benefits & Pension
Employee Wages and Salaries
Fundraising Costs
Insurance
IT Software and Consumables
Office Stationery
Postage and Delivery
Recruitment Expenses
Rent
Repairs & Maintenance
Subscriptions
Subsistence
Telephone and Internet
Training
Travel
Utilities		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
Funds
-
420
-
1,043
-
1,719
22
-
-
255
-
630
-
48
-
2,295
-
230
277
-
-
2,013
-
200
-
939
-
74,113
-
1,320
-
1,395
58,468
1,422
-
39
-
33
-
-
-
11,318
-
525
-
1,171
-
649
-
1,884
-
3,732
-
986
-
1,708		 Total 2022
Total 2021
420
350
1,043
814
1,719
251
22
-13
255
159
630
1663
48
13
2,295
2,475
230
463
277
173
2,013
-
200
-
939
1209
74,113
57,835
1,320
-
1,395
833
59,890
56,128
39
191
33
217
0
0
11,318
27,528
525
162
1,171
3,114
649
176
1,884
1997
3,732
534
986
405
1,708
1,408
58,767
110,088		 168,854
158,085

5. Staff Costs

The charity had an average number of 5 (2021: 5) employees. No employee received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000.

6 . Trustee’s remuneration and expenses

– The trustees did not receive any remuneration during the year. One trustee received a total of £615.72 (2020 one trustee: £201.65) in respect of reimbursement of various receipted expenditure incurred on behalf of the charity.

Support U Ltd

Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

7. Tangible Fixed Assets

. Tangible Fixed Assets
Cost at 1 February 2021
Additions
Disposals
Cost at 31 January 2022
Depreciation at 1 February 2021
Disposals
Charge for year
Depreciation at 31 January 2022
Net Book Value at 31 January 2022
. Debtors
Fees due
VAT		 Computer
Equipment
£
6,473
547
-		 Office
Equipment
Total
£
£
-
6,473
1,523
2,070
-
-
7,020 1,523
8,543
2,542
-
1,928		 -
2542
-
-
85
2,013
4,470 85
4,555
2,550 1,439
3,989
2022
2021
£
£
2,244
420
-
760
2,244
1,180

8. Debtors

9. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Sundry creditors
Accruals
American Express
VAT		 2022
2021
£
£
4,749
713
380
-
112
-
(29)
-
5,211
713

10. Restricted Funds

AHF Viability Fund
NHS Charities Together
Active Communities
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Thames Valley Police/MOJ
LGBT Consortium/NET
Metro Charity/Comic Relief
Lloyds Bank Foundation/DCMS
Berkshire Community
Foundation
Total		 Funds
Incoming
Resources
Funds
Note
01-Feb-21
Resources
Expended
31-Jan-22
£
£
£
£
A
0
7,941
7,941
0
B
0
3,500
2,136
1,364
C
-1,466
21,187
16,685
3,036
D
19,843
5,698
25,541
0
E
2,040
42,980
29,295
15,725
F
6,019
0
6,019
0
G
7,872
0
7,872
0
H
10,246
0
10,246
0
I
0
4,353
4,353
0
44,554
85,659
110,088
20,125

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

11. Lease Commitments

The charity has a lease for its premises with rent payable quarterly at the rate of £26,400 per annum on a rolling basis until February 2023.

12. Related Party Transactions

There were no related party transactions during this year.

13. Volunteers

Our primary front-line services are run by our volunteer base of approximately 15 individuals. These volunteers donate their time to ensure our service users receive their care they need in the moment of need. With over 2300 hours donated by the team they are the backbone to the charity's operations (market value of over £62,000). Without the kind donation of their time, the charity would be unable to provide its core services and support the public in the effective way it has done to date.

14. Reserved Funding

The charity has been operating a specific targeted fundraising effort towards new space from which to operate in the mid to long term. This funding has been set aside as £60,000 towards the capital costs of a new space as we come to the end of our current leased premises, and although not restricted in nature, the purpose was defined for this specific funding objective.

Support U Ltd Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/
members of
On accounts for the year
ended
Set out on pages		 Support U Ltd Support U Ltd Support U Ltd
31 January 2022 Charity no
(if any)		 1145334
1-3
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity (“the Trust”) for the yearended31st January 2022.

Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date: 18[th] October 2022

Signed: Name: Rachel Eden Relevant professional Chartered Institute of Management Accountants qualification(s) or body (if any):

Support U Ltd

Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

Address: Holy Brook Associates, Curious Lounge, 1st Floor, Pinnacle Building, Tudor Road, Reading RG1 1NU

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Support U Ltd

Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Support U Ltd

Company No: 07708702. A Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1145334