ANNUAL REPORT
2024—25
Page 1
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356
First Floor, Central House, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4NU
Tel: 01795 429007
E-mail: info@home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk Website: www.home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey Team
STAFF
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Manager Chair Allison McColl (30hrs) Christine White Family Support Worker Vice Chair Wendy Tomlin (15hrs) Tracy Hodges Administration / Volunteer Recruitment Treasurer Rebekah Peters (16hrs) Vacant position SGN lead Book keeper Georgie Hopkinson ( 4hrs ) Tina Bean Independent Sylvia New VOLUNTEER MENTORS Fran Sinclair-Taylor I 7 | : Maureen LY QA RECOGNITION
Maureen Dilys Catherine Jemma Ann Georgie Jo Kelly Megan _(completing training)_
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CONTENTS
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WHAT IS HOME-START 4
CHAIRS REPORT 5
MANAGERS REPORT 6
FINANCIAL REPORT 7
FAMILY JOURNEYS 8
FEEDBACK (FAMILIES & REFERRERS) 9
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER REPORT 10
TWINS GROUP 11
STATISTICS 12-13
VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT 14
THANK YOU (VOLUNTEERS) 15
THANK YOU (DONATIONS) 16
THANK YOU (FUNDING) 17
AUDITED ACCOUNTS 18-25
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What is Home-Start?
Home-Start UK was founded by Margaret Harrison who set up the first Home-Start in Leicester in 1973. Home-Start UK is now the UKs leading family support charity. HomeStart UK is made up of 100+ schemes across the UK. Home-Start UK supports these schemes by providing training, policies, quality assurance, guidance and support.
Our scheme is one of six Home-Starts in Kent that visit families in crisis to relieve the strain on families in need. We are often their only life-line as other services have now been cut meaning there are reduced options for family support. We help parents cope so they can be the best parent to their children by being able to provide the love and laughter their children need to flourish.
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey was established in 1994 by our Chair Christine White. Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey supports local families in need by matching them with a volunteer mentor. Volunteer mentors are trained to provide families with invaluable emotional and practical support within the families home. Support is provided in the families homes so individuality and confidentiality can be respected. We also support parents of multiple births through our Twins Group and help guide families towards support from other organisations such as local children’s centres.
This year we have supported 42 families with a total of 111 children, families were supported for a total of 408 hours by our manager, family support worker and volunteer mentors. This year we have had a total of 12 volunteers.
Our Volunteer Mentors truly are the heart of Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey.
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey follow safeguarding guidelines, policies and procedures set down by Home-Start UK. Home Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey are committed to safeguarding all children, young people and vulnerable adults. We have trained staff and trustees who use NSPCC guidelines for safer recruitment of staff, volunteers and board members to ensure that all individuals in the team are competent and safe to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults. prcccccccc ccc ------- Home-Starts 4 strategic commitments Hee eee ee ee ee ee ee eee1 i 1 I l ; ’ 1 1 / 1 1 Ay ‘ ‘ 7) ¢ I\ 1 ; if4 | 1 7 Vie ; ~o ae I I 07? 6 ! “Ye I 1 7 1 fol ~ 1 1 ie ,; Pid s ! = ! vo = ! Ov . ; ~ ; I ce ; ' ; I°I ! 1 ! \' Growth II Impact I1 Inclusion I! Voice I! \ I ! 1 l \; A collective ambition to I1 Home-Starts will be II Home-Start will advance i]1 Home-Starts will stand !l ;; reach significantly more 1I stronger together lI inclusion and equity in all i]1 alongside families to II ;\ families 111 we do I make the case for support l
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Chairs report
My name is Christine White, normally called Chris and I have been part of this Home-Start for over 30 years more recently as the Chair and I continue each year to be incredibly proud and delighted to be part of the charity, its staff and volunteers and grateful for the wonderful support and commitment given to our families and their children.
I would like to take this opportunity to also thank our wonderful staff team of Beccie Peters who deals with everything admin based along with volunteer recruitment and Wendy Tomlin our Family Support Worker who supports families and runs the very popular Twins Group, they both work incredibly hard and I would like to acknowledge their continued hard work and great commitment to Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey.
It has been yet another very busy year providing support to our Sittingbourne and Sheppey families right across the area. We have continued with our lottery funded project and we are as always grateful for this funding. I must at this point give thanks to our dedicated Manager Allison McColl, it has been a great year with Allison working tirelessly during the year not only supporting the families and staff but also working incredibly hard on our successful Home-Start Quality Assurance. Allison has also continued with all the other duties needed to run a successful charity including staff management and development, report writing, promotion of our service and all the legal requirements with both the Charity Commission and Companies House ensuring we continue as a compliant charity and company. Allison has also worked hard on putting additional funding applications together and it has been a very successful year with many funders happy to support us, all in all another fantastic year!
Well done to the whole team!
Finally, as I do in this report each year, I cannot end without giving thanks to our committed and supportive Board of Volunteer Trustees and also the many Volunteer Mentors that help support and visit our families. We could not run the service without you all!
Yours sincerely Christine White Christine White Chair
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Managers report
As we near the end of the lottery funding for 2022 – 2025 it is fair to say that Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey has seen some huge changes. It has been a steep learning curve for me, but I am confident that we have gone from strength to strength and that the future for the scheme looks bright, positive and stable moving forwards.
So, what has changed:
Following the pandemic, it was apparent to me that Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey had fallen off people’s radars, so to rectify this I have worked tirelessly with professionals old and new to spread the word that we were still very much part of the support network for families in the community. I have ensured that professionals have clear guidelines for our referral pathway.
I have embraced Home-Start UK’s new online training package for volunteers. This has enabled individuals to train for the position of volunteer mentor in ways that suit increasingly busy lifestyles. Staff are also able to gain new skills that fit around working hours.
To ensure that the scheme is complying with all relevant policies, procedures and the structure is both effective and robust, I have been working through the Quality Assurance modules and submitting them to Home-Start UK. Each module has generated additional work/tasks/ amendments and additions, but this will only add value to our service.
We are receiving more complexed families from a much more diverse pool of referrers who include mental health community nurses, perinatal community nurses & psychiatric liaison service in the Medway hospital. This demonstrates that we are raising our profile and reputation in the community and establishing strong links with other services.
I am delighted that the staff at Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey are working so well and have come together over the past year. We have upskilled and gained knowledge and strengths that enable us to become a very united and effective team. Having such a skilled and dedicated staff team ensures that the support we provide is of a very high standard.
I continue to look for funding which allows us to diversify and add value to our service. We are now able to confidently and effectively offer Home-Start support, which is of a high standard, to some of the most vulnerable families in the community. This is a service as individual and unique as the people we offer it to, where needs are met, and families begin to thrive as a unit once again.
Thank you to all the volunteers both homevisiting & our board of trustees who are the backbone of Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey and without whom we would not be able to make a difference to so many lives.
We have increased the number of volunteers supporting families by rethinking the recruitment process and having a dedicated member of the team to coordinate this.
Yours sincerely Allison McColl Allison McColl Manager
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Financial report
Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey have now come to the end of their National Lottery Community Funding for 2022 – 2025.
We are pleased to announce that we have been granted a further 3 years from the Lottery for 2025 – 2028.
This is fantastic news and allows us to continue the valuable and vital support for families in Sittingbourne, the surrounding villages and the Isle of Sheppey.
We were also successful in securing funding from the Lottery Awards for All funding 5:— | : stream which has allowed us to expand our staff team welcoming Amy as the new Family Support Worker with a focus on Mental Health Issues.
We have been granted some funding from KCF which has made such a difference and given a boost to our core funding.
At this point in time the future looks bright and stable for Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey.
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Family journeys
Here are some of the families journeys from 2024-25.
This is a family of 8, mum has 7 children with ages ranging from 2 to 15 years old. 4 of the children are neurodiverse, 3 of which are in special schools. I have been supporting the family since December 2024. Mum is very isolated with no other family; she lives in a small village. The school run is a drive through system which means she does not even get to speak to any other mums, making her feel even more lonely.
Mum has been using some of this time to go walking which she enjoys but she often feels that she should be doing the housework all the time. I have also been working on this with mum trying to encourage her to get some rest and to catch up on sleep as she is running on empty. Mum has on a couple of occasions come home and gone to bed for 2-3 hours which she desperately needed.
When I initially started visiting, child 7 did not interact with me. However, after a few weeks, he began to engage for a few minutes about halfway through my visit. He will often now come over quite quickly and wants to do the sticker activity that I take with me for him. Mum is always really pleased to see this as he would never engage with people before.
Mum is always exhausted as there is always so much to do and it’s so hard to get all of the children to bed, especially child 7 who would only ever sleep for about an hour at a time. He now has medication which has helped but sleep has always been an issue with 3 of the children and child 7 often wakes the other children up which causes even more stress for mum. Dad does visit the family home a couple of times a week but is emotionally unavailable and contributes little to family life.
Mum has a very kind and caring nature which unfortunately her neighbours were taking advantage of, but mum did not have the confidence to say no. I have been working with mum to build her confidence and strength; therefore, she no longer lets them take advantage of her. She has become so much stronger which has had a positive impact on the way she manages friends, family and neighbours for the better.
When I first started visiting, mum was trying to settle child 7 into a nursery which was not going well. Child 7 is very clingy to mum but they were not trying to help the settling process. Mum was far from impressed with the nursery. I advised her to look for an alternative nursery or childminder and she did eventually find a little nursery which had space for him, who then worked with her to settle him. Child 7 now loves nursery and goes 2-3 times a week which gives mum a much-needed break.
Mum really enjoys my visits and looks forward to them each week. She believes that she has changed, becoming stronger and more confident, and will ensure that things do not revert to their previous state.
A referral was made to Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey in February 2025 by IDVA SATEDA (Domestic Abuse Service). Reasons for the referral are as follows: mum fled from an abusive relationship, mum was 9 months pregnant at the time of the referral, scans revealed mums’ unborn baby had a cleft lip, mum has mental health issues, feels isolated with low self-esteem and lacked confidence.
Mum is a single parent with 2 young children; mum was hard to engage with in the beginning and following the referral other services contacted the manager to ask if we could make the connection as soon as possible. The service is a choice for families, so the manager sensitively kept offering a visit and eventually mum agreed to the initial visit.
By the time the manager visited the baby had arrived and more information was available regarding his cleft lip. It was apparent that mum had very low self-esteem and constantly apologised for everything.
After explaining what we could offer and how we worked alongside family’s, mum said that she would like to try having the support therefore a volunteer with 16 years’ experience was introduced.
self-esteem, give mum some much-needed reassurance around child 2s medical condition and generally support mum following her abusive relationship.
Mum prepared for the baby’s operation to repair his cleft lip and baby was operated on at Medway hospital in April 2025. The volunteer visited mum shortly after the operation to discover that mum was having some attachment issues. Following the operation baby now looked very different and mum was struggling with this stating that; ‘he doesn’t look like my baby anymore’ the volunteer used all her extensive skills as an experienced volunteer, mother and grandmother to support mum through this difficult transition. Mum is now reconciled to babies’ new look.
Mum is doing really well caring for her two children and growing in confidence through the support of her volunteer and the amazing service that is Home-Start.
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FEEDBACK
FAMILIES
We asked the families we support what does Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey mean to you?
“ The support I get from Home-Start is amazing. Very helpful and understanding. The volunteers are warm welcome and made me feel welcome. Definitely recommend to everyone that needs help in life.
Home-Start (especially) Allison has become the most important part of my healing. Having someone to talk to even about normal things means the world when you don’t have anyone else. I feel like a person who matters and a person who feels more confident in becoming the best version of myself, not just for me, but for my children.
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey have been a lifeline for my family. They have offered support, understanding, and practical help when we needed it most. I felt less alone and “ more confident as a parent thanks to their care.
I love having my Home-Start lady, she has been a great help especially when things have been extremely challenging.
“
Home-Start has been an unmatchable help for me and my family, with 3 young children under 4, some postnatal depression and a daughter with severe needs, other organisations would speak to me once or twice, tell me I was doing a good job then to contact them if I had further problems. This left me feeling utterly abandoned, Home-Start were the only people to offer me real, consistent help.
Having a helper come round once a week just to talk to or play with the kids when I was feeling defeated offered a sense of hope I didn't get anywhere else.
“ Both mine and my husbands mental health was in steep decline, our emotions were absolute chaos. Having someone there just to listen was a literal life-saver. Thank you so much for everything.
Home-Start has been really positive in my and my children’s life. I feel so much more able to manage since I have support from Home-Start. Highly recommend service.
REFERRERS
We asked our referrers what would you say Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey are doing well?
Home Start are fantastic at being able to offer on-going support to families that “ families report back is always beneficial. They have shared that workers are supportive and proactive.
Home-Start is a service that can offer further support around many different areas. They are able to offer families a friendly ear to listen to things that they may be struggling with and offer solutions. Families have shared with me that Home-Start offer valuable time and understanding and can be supportive in areas they struggle to get support with.
“ I feel that it is of great value that there is a service that we can refer families on to for further support when all actions have been competed with ourselves but a little more support may be required for longer to help parents feel confident and empowered.
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Family Support Worker report
. The support I offer varies for each family Some are very isolated and lonely so having someone visit each week who they can talk to about anything without judgement is the most valuable support we can give. Others need practical help as it can be difficult to get out of the house or get jobs done in the home when they are on their own with the children all day. I can also help with completing applications, I can offer advice and guidance
for routines, behavioral management, budgeting, meal planning etc. I usually take a sticker/craft activity for the children which we often do during the visit. A lot of the children get very excited when I arrive and come to see what I have brought with me.
I really enjoy my work and have a great deal of job satisfaction knowing that I am making a difference to people’s lives and offering much needed support.
Yours sincerely Wendy Tomlin Wendy Tomlin Family Support Worker
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Twins Group
Twins Group
4 years old and under For parents of multiples
Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey have had another successful year with the Twins Group which relocated in January to Family Freedom & Connections . It provides a fantastic, spacious, welcoming and safe environment for the children to explore and play with a wide variety of toys
and resources. We have the use of 2 rooms plus the corridor space which has a book corner, a dolls house, a construction area and lots of other toys which the children are able to play with. Both rooms have a small ball pit which are always very popular.
We have a lovely group of families who all get on really well and love coming to our group. Four sets of twins have recently turned two years old and they all started with us roughly at the same time when they were just a few months old. It has been great to see them grow and develop during their time with us.
Earlier in the year we were lucky enough to receive £400 from Asda to use for our twins group (pictured below), which was amazing. With this money, we were able to buy lots of new toys, a large play mat for our babies, books, puzzles and equipment.
We have two park meet-ups planned for the summer holiday, which the families are looking forward to as they are also able to bring older siblings to this.
FEEDBACK
We asked twins group attendees what does twins group mean to you?
“ Thank you for all involved in running twins group it is our favourite thing each month. There is nothing like it in the area. It is my go to group for support, to get a break and to meet friends. I love being able to get out of the house, having people to talk to, it massively helps my mental health and wellbeing.
Thank you for providing this! It is so nice to meet / see others that understand twin life! I felt stuck before twins group to feel I had support for twins. This group has been vital for my mental health. It is so nice to have this available as there is nothing else like this.
Yours sincerely Wendy Tomlin Wendy Tomlin Family Support Worker
Pictured: ASDA foundation cheque with twins group attendees, twins group coordinator & our scheme manager
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STATISTICS
SUPPORTING FAMILIES
Number of referrals
39
Number of families supported 41
(24 home visiting, 17 twins group) Includes families carried over from previous year
Number of children supported 111
| Number of children supported 111 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children supported ages &gender | Male | Female Unknown | Female Unknown | Total |
| 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2025(0-2years) | 22 | 13 | 0 | 35 |
| 1st April 2020- 31st March 2023(3-5years) | 16 | 15 | 0 | 31 |
| Before 31st March 2020(6+years) | 18 | 21 | 0 | 39 |
| Unknown/unspecified | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Total | 59 | 49 | 3 | 111 |
REFERRALS & SUPPORT
% of referrals that 43% lead to support
Family Circumstances
| Family Circumstances | Family Circumstances |
|---|---|
| Lone parent | 9 |
| Debt/finances | 2 |
| Speech and language issues | 3 |
| Domestic abuse | 9 |
| Adult with disability | 1 |
| Adult with ADHD/Autism | 4 |
| Child with ADHD/ Autism | 8 |
| Adult mental health | 13 |
Needs identified by family at initial visit
Level of coping on day of visit 0 = not coping very well 5 = coping very well 1 2 3 4 5 ~~es a~~ Managing children’s behaviour 1 1 9 4 2 ~~Ge~~ Being involved in the children’s development/learning 2 1 7 5 ~~a~~ Coping with physical health 3 3 2 ~~Ge~~ Coping with mental health 3 3 8 1 1 ~~a~~ Coping with feeling isolated 2 4 12 4 2 ~~Ge~~ Parent’s self-esteem 3 5 14 6 1 ~~a~~ Coping with child’s physical health 3 1 2 ~~Ge~~ Coping with child’s mental health 1 2 2 ~~a~~ Managing the household budget 2 1 2 ~~Ge~~ The day-to-day running of the home 1 1 1 2 ~~a~~ Stress caused by conflict in the family 1 6 5 1 ~~Ge~~ Coping with multiple birth/children under 5 3 2 2 1 ~~a~~ Use of services 5 14 1 1 ~~a~~ Other Page 12 1
STATISTICS
----- Start of picture text -----
Total hours spent supporting families during
2024-25 through home visiting: 408
Staff travelling
hours: 84 a8 Length of support for families
\ Se. Volunteer that ended support in 2024 a -25:
16% mentor home
Volunteer c “7 visiting
mentor = s ‘ 28% —--7 hours: 146 Length of support
travelling se.
6% Under 6 months 4
hours: 30
6 -12 months 9
1 year to 2 years 5
2 years to 3 years 3
Over 3 years 2
Staff home
visiting hours:
50% =_-7
262
est yc
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Sittingbourne & Sheppey manager, family support workers and volunteer mentors (excluding those who are supported by attending our Twins Group). The manager also visits each family to carry out reviews, during these visits scoring sheets are completed to demonstrate the progress of how Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey support is going. During 2024-25 a total of 23 families ended support. Support ends for numerous reasons such as—the family no longer has a child under the age of 5 because their youngest starts school, the family has moved out of the area or the family feels they are in a better position and therefore no longer require our support. The manager visits each family wanting to end their support to complete an ending visit. During this visit a final scoring sheet is completed to demonstrate if the families needs identified during their initial visit were met during their time of support.
Outcomes of needs identified by families at initial visit who ended support in 2024-25
| Needs identified | Achieved | Partly | Not achieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing children’s behaviour | 10 | 2 | |
| Being involved in the children’s development | 10 | 2 | |
| Coping with physical health | 5 | 1 | |
| Coping with mental health | 6 | 2 | |
| Coping with feeling isolated | 13 | 3 | |
| Parent’s self-esteem | 15 | 3 | |
| Coping with child’s physical health | 5 | 1 | |
| Coping with child’s mental health | 4 | ||
| Managing the household budget | 2 | ||
| The day-to-day running of the home | 3 | ||
| Stress caused by conflict in the family | 6 | ||
| Coping with multiple birth/children under 5 | 7 | 1 | |
| Use of services | 4 | 1 |
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Volunteer recruitment
I have now condensed this information to two short paragraphs. With the aim of making it a more efficient and appealing post for potential volunteers to read. I have also ensured our post is more appealing to volunteers from all walks of life by using inclusive language & images throughout.
I joined the team as an administrator in November 2023 but I was also given the role of volunteer recruitment. Something which I had never undertaken before. Since taking on this role I feel I have had huge success.
This previous year has seen the interest in volunteering for Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey soar. Our initial goal for recruitment was to reach a total of 12 volunteers. In 2024 we were elated to have reached this goal & pause recruitment for a few months. However due to unforeseen circumstances 7 volunteers had to part ways with the scheme (e.g. moving out of the area, time constraints etc.).
After reducing the indeed post I created a colourful, bright, inviting and inclusive ‘’volunteer mentor information pack’’. With the hopes of retaining volunteers attention and ensuring our approach during our first initial contact with volunteers is appealing, professional and captivating. By creating this pack I am hoping this means those who approach us expressing interest are more likely to want to join the team as a bright, appealing, inclusive and inviting personalised PDF is more inviting than a monochrome extensive indeed post.
In 2025 we restarted recruitment of volunteer mentors are started also recruiting trustees.
As of March 2025 fifty one potential volunteers have expressed interest in our volunteer mentor vacancy, this is a huge increase when compared to last year when we had fifteen express interest. Out of those fifty one potential volunteers twenty one have attended an initial meeting to discuss volunteering in more depth. Fourteen of whom have completed an application form. As of March 2025 we currently have a total of nine volunteer mentors. Six volunteers are fully trained, four of which are matched with a local family, the other two are awaiting a match. The final three are completing their online training.
Since last year I am delighted to see that our expressions of interest have more than trebled. I am even more delighted that we reached our goal of twelve volunteers (all be it briefly). I am ecstatic we are well on our way to reaching our goal again this year, I am confident we will do so.
As always, I am so overjoyed to witness my hard work result in so many more wonderful volunteers joining our team. Without volunteers Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey wouldn’t be able to offer the incredible compassionate and nonjudgemental support to local families in need. I am so thankful to be part of such an amazing team. It really is wonderful to witness families receive the much needed support they need. I look forward to continuing being part of this team and having even more success to share next year.
I still find the most successful way of recruiting volunteers to be posting on indeed. Since restarting recruitment earlier this year I have shortened our indeed post significantly. Our initial indeed post included extensive detail about our volunteer mentor vacancy.
Volunteer statistics (as of March 2025)
| Number of volunteers expressed interest | 51 |
|---|---|
| Number attended initial meeting | 21 |
| Number received an application form from | 14 |
| Number of active volunteers | 9 |
| Number unable to commit | 28 |
----- Start of picture text -----
Yours sincerely
Rebekah Peters
Rebekah Peters
Volunteer Recruitment Lead
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(volunteers recruited from indeed, plinth, website, word of mouth)
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Thank you
to our wonderful volunteers -——>
Home-Start ethos: ‘’ a family for every volunteer, a volunteer for every family ‘’
Our volunteers are the heart of Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey. It is their commitment, generosity and kindness that allow us to stand alongside families. No matter the role, every volunteer within our Home-Start community is making a difference. Interim Chief Executive of Home-Start UK, Vivien Waterfield said: “At Home-Start, we know that real change starts in the home, and it grows from the kindness, time and belief of people who care. Every day, our volunteers, supporters, and partners bring that belief to life in the most powerful way’’. Sittingbourne & Sheppey would love to say a heartfelt thank you to every single one of our volunteers both home-visiting & trustees. You are the reason we can walk alongside families when they need it most, we simply couldn’t do it without you.
Thank you
for being a generous soul and a beautiful spirit in a world that could use a million more people just like you. Thanks so much for everything you’ve done and for all that you continue to do. w Fe > ¥ ee You’re the best, and you’re appreciated more than words can say.
Little Potters
In April we were delighted to offer all Home-Visiting volunteer mentors & those who had completed their training before March 2025 a treat morning. We all enjoyed a pottery painting session at little potters in Sittingbourne. As you can see there are some real artists among us. What a lovely morning. We look forward to more.
Pictured: items pre painting (top left), items post painting (bottom left), volunteers & staff mid painting (right).
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Thank you for your support & donations
Twins Group
Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey were extremely pleased to receive a grant for £400 from the ASDA foundation for our Twins Group. The £400 was used to purchase lots of new toys, a large play mat, books, puzzles and equipment for use at Twins Group (pictured). We were also pleased to receive a generous donation of toys to gift to our families at Christmas 2024 (pictured). These toys were wrapped and gifted to local families at Christmas, any surplus were gifted throughout the year to families when necessary. ASDA also kindly donated pre-loved toys to us throughout the year.
Twins group were very lucky to receive pre-loved toys in 2024. We are very grateful to the mums of Ashford who donated toys for our twins group following a Facebook appeal.
Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey were elated to receive a generous donation of toys from the HCRG care group at Christmas 2024. These toys were wrapped and gifted to local families at Christmas, any surplus were gifted to throughout the year to families when necessary.
Pictured: ladies from HCRG care group with their Christmas toy donation & the Home-Start Sittingbourne & Sheppey manager.
Pictured - top: ASDA foundation cheque with attendees of twins group, middle row & bottom right: toys purchased using the grant from ASDA foundation bottom left: toy donation from ASDA at Christmas.
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Thank you.
We are truly touched by the generous support we received in 2024-25. So many funders and donors stepped up to help support our scheme. We are grateful to all who support us and the families we stand alongside. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following who have provided funding and/or donations throughout the year 2024-25. Without your support local families wouldn't be able to receive the vital emotional and practical support they need.
Funding
Thank-you to the following for providing vital funding for our core work.
The Lottery Community Fund 2022—2025 (£133,986 over three years to fund core work 2022—2025) ASDA (£400 to fund toys & equipment)
SGN fuelling futures (£22,944 for supporting families staying safe and warm)
Donations ass
Thank-you to the following organisations for providing greatly appreciated donations.
ASDA
donation of pre-loved toys throughout the year & for their donation of toys at Christmas.
HCRG care group
donation of toys at Christmas.
Twins group
the mums of Ashford who donated pre-loved toys.
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FINANCIAL REPORT FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2025
First Floor, Central House, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4NU
Tel: 01795 429007
E-mail: info@home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk Website: www.home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356
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CHARITY COMMISSION | FOR ENGIANO ANO WALES | Independent examlnerfs report on tho , accounts Section A IndOndOnt ExamSner's Rwrt ft•port to th• tru•t• Homo4t8rt siniffjbcxrnè & Sheppey On accourts for th• y•ar 31 Marth 2025 •nd•d Charlty no (rf any) 1146356 S•t ¢xrt on pa90• | I report lo the trustees my examinatbn of the accounts of the abo charity (Iho TrLrf) lor ts yoar 31103r2025. R•sponslbllftl•s and basls of r•port A8 t1 charitys trustees. yw are responsitAe for the preparatM)n of the accounts in acc¢xdanc8 with the requirements of Ihe Charities Acl 2011 Aca"). I report in rgsped of my examlnatbn of the Tntst's accounts carrd out under sethin 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I hav8 follmd all the applicabl8 Directions gfvèn by the Charity Commissic under se1 145(5Xb) of ts A Independ•nt I ha completsd my examln81k>n. I confirrn that no material matters have •xamln•rfs statement come to my attention in connectK•n the exarninaiion vthich givgs me uso to believe that in. 8ny materlal r8sp8d: th8 account5ry rec4xds were not kept in acconlance th soctbn 130 of Ihe Charii*S Act: or th8 accounts dhj t accord the accounting records: or the accounts did not comply lti appIable requiremenls concemirvj the form a1 nIent of accounts s•1 Oth In the Charities (Accounts and Rewts) Regulan$ 2CX)8 (Aher than any requirement that the accounts glve a Irue and fairf which ffj nol a matter considered as part of an irKlependent examinatm. I have concems and haw come across no other matters in conneGtKwi wilh the ox8minaiion to whith attention stld be drawn in this report in ordèr to enabl8 a woper Urth(stsndl of the 8cc•unts to be reached. Slgn•d: Dat•: 15 July 2025 Jenny Carter Rd•vant prcrf•ulonal quallficatlorf•) or body OAc8 Addr•88: 3 Dental Cb88 Sittingl)oume Kant ME10 1DT IER Oct 2018 Page 19
Homfrstsrt Sittingbourne & Shopp•y Statam•nt of Flnanclal Actmtlas - summary For th• priod from".01 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 Tot1 Prknr lufftd• tdal lund• fi•nd• fvnd• Tol•l Inco 71.35TAW) 71.385.80 45.386.00 Total •xp•rnJltur• 1196.70 83.736.06 54,S20.95 N•t In¢¢m• I l•xp•ndbturn) I•1¢•8 b•for• hngl•r {2.167 9A17.64 7.649.74 (9.1X Gross tr•n6kns b8tsbwn fiJr#ts. hi .127.36 (8.127.36) 8.127.36 18.127.36) 427.42 (427.42) N•1 m¢)bwn•nt Tn fund• (1187.•Q) 9I17.64 7W.74 19.1x95) Total fvnds bmught lonmrd 413.J1 1¢741 87.224J3 96.359.88 Total funth c•rri•d fonward 31SA1 2855926 874.67 8T3243 8.CrfMI.00 36.662.50 21.652.91 .662 S) 21.652.91 44.423.08 21.652_91 2.407.32 Resew¥e FUNI Gioup Aw•rds For COrThrrtmltyFurnl.BTrytftu Strryw Fat HSUK DCMS Volurt•arfr SGN 16.552.00 4.042.T4 16.552 00 4.042.74 18.383.62 358.00 7. 52 7.8C6.S2 Page 20
Homfrstsrt Sittingboume & Sheppey Receipts and payments Selected period: 01 Awil 2024 to 31 March 2025 01 April 2024 31 March 2025 01 April 2023 31 March 2024 hbte To CFBSF - CommunrtyFund-Building Strow Families (Restricted) Fw ReeÈipts Activriies in rhefare ol the chariiys c4ects C(xnMuWFwKI-Ikjl1J Sr Fanmlies 46.201. 45,296.( 46.207.fA) 45,296.111 Total relP1S 46.201.• 45.296. Paynts Athvities in furthetance charlS tlyects Adverti%ThJ managlc¢(dInatOT Expense Farnily Outing Membe(ship Levy Outside Verwjes PLJMKJty TraiThng 2,143.88 1,243.54 24.45 817.13 1,473.C(I 10. 254.85 185.LX) 22.(X) 76.50 203.CKI TotalActffts further8e dthe otyects Expendre marwging-administering drty AGM costs BckkeeF1n9 Equipment 3.334.57 3,208.84 81.84 879.79 774.98 785.25 121.20 InswatKe 1.018.02 581.15 3.4CKJ. 2C#J.C(I 610.69 2,7BS. 12.50 57.11 31,726.64 622.41 R£ Hire Repair5 & renewals Salaries and Nl Stat arKI pUbl110n TelephMelMckn.l1nlerne1 V(As Training & Conl Vcluntw Exwses 47.44B.25 1.123.70 2.151.62 1.2S 973.96 3.57 668.70 57.207.37 39,277.24 Totol poyrrws 60.541.88 42.426.08 {14.340.88) 18.3B3.62 2,869.92 15.513.70 oughi l(rnrd t&alarte Total carried lod balae 4,042.74 18,383.62 Page 21
01 April 2024 31 March 2025 01 April 2023 31 March 2024 Not• To SGN - SGN {Restrl¢t•dl Fund Receipts Aclivities loi geneiating lunds HSUKSGN 8.604 00 T(alAGbvitKs fwgwteralNng lunds 8.604 Totsl receipts 8.604.00 Payments Acti¥e$ in fllr1heran of the charity's otlects Manageilco-oidinator Expense Train¥ 15.30 11.50 TotalAchvthe6 furtlyeranGe ollhe chartys Expenditure on managing-administering the chaiity Salaries and Nl 26.80 970.68 Total ExpeftdrfU on managin[nistenn9 the djanty 970.68 Totsl payments 997.48 Excess of Incoming resources over Reswrces used Totsl cattied fopwaid balaThc8 7,606 52 7.606.52 Lottery - Awards For All (Restricted) Fund Recelpts Actiwbes in turtherance of Ihe chaiity's ¢iecls Loltery Incorne TotalAc&vth"es fuFther8nce of Ihe chaty5 otyeds 16,552.00 16.552.00 Total receipts 16.65100 Excess of Incoming r8source5 over Resou[( Used 16,552.00 Total carried forward bal)Dce 16.552.(K) HSUKDCMS - HSUK DCMS Voluntwring IRestrict•dl Fund Payrnents Actie$ in furtherance olthè chawity's oL4eLts PubRcty 354.00 TotalAclMties in fvrtheraIe ofthe chantys 04wts 354.(KJ Total payments Excess of Incoffling resource5 over Resources Broughi lotward balance Total catried fowwatd balance 1354.001 712.00 358.00 Page 22
From To 01 April 2024 31 March 2025 01 April 2023 31 March 2024 Not• Core - Core Accounl (Desiwated) Fund Receipts Avrt$ in IthanCe of Ihe chartys rtyerts Core ItKc¥ne I8.c (XhÈr in)mg resowces FunthaisiTr3L)onali 2880 72.co 28.80 72. Tolal receipts 28.80 Paymen¢s Costs 01 geTating hJrK15 Managemern Fees 2.397.25 2.397.25 Athvrties in ftrthetance of the charty5 443.76 Trairmng {350.(KII (350.tYJ) 443.76 EXpdIture managry.admirriaeriThJ the ch orrKe General Exp5 Refreshnts 334. 55.70 salIes and Nl 12.719.191 11,195.321 (2,385. 79) (7, 739.62) Total payr1nts 1337.94) 1695.86) 366.74 IB.127.321 44.423.08 785.86 39).92 Transfers I(11r0) Broughi IcThard Total &vried forward balance 43.246.30 36.662.50 44,423.08 Com . Commitlment N)ney Fund (tksignated) Fund Transfers t(from) Total rrIed frrnard balar 8.(KK). Reserve . Reserve Fund IDeSigred) Fund B[0h1 l(Kvrdrd bala[e Total earritd fcnv¥d bala 21.652.91 21,652.91 21,652.91 21,652.91 Page 23
From To 01 April 2024 31 March 202S 01 April 2023 31 March 2024 Twin5group- Twins Group (Designatedl Fund Acty.vitS in fwthwarre cd trE charty5 MarwICo.(Thl Exw5e Venues 47.95 95.69 213. 260.95 95.69 EXpendU on managwadmw4stury the clwty RcKffi Hire Sak¥s and Nl Toys 56.fxj 2.189. 27.73 46.IXJ 2.273.69 46 Total payfwts 2.534.64 141.69 12,534 641 127.32 1141.691 Trarer5 lollfrornl Bro Icnvard balae Totsl carrled forrd balaKe 2.407.32 2.549.01 2.407.32 kcfconl - KCF (Core Cosls) (DesigThted) Fw ACtivitS in furtherarKe of chariys cty Craft MaiErkq15 159.KJ Expaise 467.04 626.64 ExpendU on Managwa(knnury the charty AGM c0515 Equiprnenl InSwae 30C 739.(KJ 778.35 152.63 395.(KJ 8.088.78 518.66 367.66 298 32 Re SaLm aTrJ Nl Stat and PuICal Vduntew ExFense5 7 7.368.40 TrAal payn 11.995.04 111.995.041 1409.171 12,404.21 Translus K4lfrcrfnl Broht firntd b3L4rKe Sarahsfund- Sarah's F)d (Designated) Fund Paymen15 FoLI VlCherS foul gfts rAarts 30Q.Lk7 I3.cl 18.25 2B1.75 Tran5fer5 toiifroml M r(¥ward bakw Page 24
Home•SM Sittingbowne & Stry As•t 3110312025 Asat 3110312024 Current assets a4NK.. Bank 94,832.56 87.123.20 8NK.. CASH.. Cathr in HaThl 101.73 94.874.87 87,224.13 94.A74.67 87.224.93 Excess l {(Wu) d Zol.. kn'r¥J b¥arre5 7.649.74 40.113.Sl 87.224_93 47.111.42 .874.67 87.224.93 66.315.41 68.483.31 28.S59_26 18.741.62 94.174.87 87.224.93 Page 25
First Floor, Central House, Central Avenue, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4NU
Tel: 01795 429007
E-mail: info@home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk Website: www.home-startsittingbourneandsheppey.org.uk
Company Number: 7952821 Registered Charity Number: 1146356
Age 3 LJ
ADMINISTRATORS
OFFICE HOURS
Monday—Thursday: 9.00am—1.00pm
Closed Fridays
If the office is closed we have a 24h answer machine
01795 429007
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