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2024-12-31-accounts

Centre 33 (St Albans) Limited

Annual Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2024

Centre 33 is the trading name of Centre 33 (St Albans) Limited, registered in England as a company limited by guarantee (No 7955132) and as a charity (No 1146438). Registered office: Centre 33, 2a Spicer Street, St Albans, Herts, AL3 4PQ. Patron: The Right Worshipful the Mayor of St Albans City and District

www.centre33.org

Centre 33 (St Albans) Limited

(A company limited by guarantee)

Annual Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 December 2024

Contents

Chairman’s Note .............................................................................................3 Significant Organisational Developments ......................................................4 What is Centre 33? .........................................................................................5 Our Visitors .....................................................................................................6 Our Local Community .....................................................................................7 2024 in Summary ............................................................................................8 Finance Overview ...........................................................................................9 The Trustees .................................................................................................10 Reference and Administrative Details of the Company ...............................11 Report of the Directors .................................................................................12 Directors’ Responsibilities Statement ..........................................................14 Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees .................................15 Financial Statements ....................................................................................16 Balance Sheet ...............................................................................................17 Notes to the Financial Statements ...............................................................18

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Chairman’s Note

2024 has been another active and productive year for Centre 33. We have continued to welcome visitors for hot breakfasts and access to shower facilities at our home in Spicer Street and hot suppers at the Salvation Army Citadel in Victoria Street, 5 days each week throughout the year: on average, 16 meals were served each morning and 25 each evening with maximum visitor numbers reaching 26 in the morning and 38 in the evening. Centre 33 exists to provide a welcoming place to eat and chat for anyone in need in the St Albans area: visitor numbers, and their personal testimony provide evidence of the ongoing need for the service.

Centre 33 continues to operate thanks to the financial generosity of our donors, the availability of volunteers who are generous with their time, and to St Albans City and District council and the Salvation Army on St Albans who kindly provide premises.

We are extremely grateful to all our financial supporters. Particular financial highlights include substantial donations from St Albans Cathedral, St Albans Lions Club, St Albans Round Table and St Albans Choral Society along with a successful application to The National Lottery Fund. The generosity of our donors has resulted in a small surplus for the year. Details can be found in the Finance Section of this report.

We are proud that Centre 33 is run entirely by 165 active volunteers, who gave over 3,500 hours of their time during 2024. Volunteer training has been given a boost this year with a focus on ensuring that everyone involved in food preparation has obtained level 2 food safety certification. Volunteers have also had opportunity to receive training in managing situations involving conflict: although I must stress that incidents involving unacceptable behaviour happen only very occasionally at Centre 33.

We remain indebted to St Albans City and District council who provide Centre 33’s home in Spicer Street, which, due to the high numbers of visitors in the evenings, is now mainly used for the morning service. We are extremely grateful to The Salvation Army in St Albans who kindly provide their Citadel to Centre 33 to serve suppers. Operating from two locations presents its own challenges and we continue to work closely with St Albans City and District Council to identify suitable city centre premises which might offer Centre 33 a more appropriate long term home.

Centre 33 continues to cooperate closely with other local charities, such as Open Door, Emmaus, and Herts Young Homeless, who work in the homelessness sector and with St Albans City and District Council and local police. Our trustees are active members of STAMP (St Albans Multi Agency Protocol) which reviews the needs and arrangements of anyone known to be sleeping rough or otherwise in need of a home, and of the St Albans Homelessness Forum which updates on the services provided by local support organisations.

Finally, I want to thank our external finance examiner and our team of 10 trustees who together bring a diverse set of skills to the management of Centre 33’s activities including both day to day operations and the overall direction of our local charity.

Melanie O’Neill, Chairman May 2025

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Significant Organisational Developments

In January 2024, David Grimshaw stepped down from trusteeship and we are delighted that he continues to volunteer and provide ongoing support to the Centre.

In December 2024, we were very pleased that John Scott joined Centre 33 as the new Treasurer of Centre 33. John, a retired Chartered Accountant, has wide experience of the role of treasurer and we welcome him to the trustees. Melanie O’Neill stepped down as Treasurer after 10 years in that role, we thank her and are very grateful for all her excellent work. We are also delighted that she continues as our very capable Chairman.

Just after the year end, in January 2025, Mike Poole, one of our longstanding active volunteers, joined the board of trustees, and we greatly welcome his expertise and knowledge of helping to run our services.

Charitable Objectives

The Constitution of Centre 33 says that the Object of Centre 33 shall be ...

“The relief of persons in need who are homeless or suffering from psychological or physical infirmity or who by reason of adverse circumstances, ……… and in particular ……… by the provision for such persons of a shelter (or a home of rest) and the comfort of friendship.”

Centre 33 pursues this Object through the operation of the drop-in centre at 2a Spicer Street and the provision of meals at other locations as necessary.

Public Benefit

The Charity Commission requires that charities report on the public benefit of their activities. We believe that the public benefit from operating the drop-in centre is largely self-evident; it helps very vulnerable people, giving them practical support and encouragement; and because it is very dependent on donations from churches, businesses and others, it demonstrates to them that many in St Albans care about their welfare.

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What is Centre 33?

Centre 33 is a charity. Its objective is to provide practical support for people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or otherwise socially or materially disadvantaged in the St Albans area. It does this through both the Centre 33 drop-in centre and through a sit-down evening service run from the Citadel building in St Albans through the kind support of the Salvation Army.

What does Centre 33 offer?

Volunteering at Centre 33

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Our Visitors

Centre 33 Visitors

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Our Local Community

Our Supporters

Centre 33 could not operate without the generous support – financial, other donations (clothes, food etc) and moral – of our local community. The list below is not comprehensive, but we hope it is illustrative of the wide support we receive. We are very grateful to:

Local Collaboration and Cooperation

Centre 33 works closely with others in St Albans who help the homeless. Our activity includes

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2024 in Summary

We continue to provide services from two sites:-

At each site we offer a restaurant service with hot meals cooked on the premises by volunteers.

10,160 meals served ... 496 sessions ...

There is a high demand for our services with an average of 20 visitors coming for a meal at each session we are open. Some are regular customers and others are seen only occasionally. But all appreciate the food and facilities we have to offer.

Over the course of the year we provided a total of 10,160 meals over the 496 sessions we were open.

Over 3,500 volunteer hours ...

To make this possible we depend on our wonderful team of volunteers who cook the meals and look after the visitors. The volunteers are drawn from a pool of over 100 people who regularly help at Centre 33. Three or four volunteers are needed for each session that we are open. Together they contributed over 3,500 hours of voluntary work in running the service.

Service details

Spicer Street Salvation Army
(mornings) (evenings) Total
Number of sessions open 241 255 496
Average attendance per session 16 25 20
Total meals served 3,909 6,251 10,160

Other activities

We continued our regular work of maintaining the premises and ensuring deliveries of food and consumables as needed. At Spicer Street a new boiler was installed and work was done to renovate the ceilings in several rooms. A major water leak under the floor also had to be repaired. As our landlord, St Albans Council carried out the necessary work without too much disruption to our opening schedule. At the Salvation Army a storage cupboard was installed for clothing we give out to visitors.

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Finance Overview

The Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 are attached to this report. We are immensely grateful for the donations and grants received during the year, which have enabled Centre 33 to continue to operate. Centre 33 continues to be run entirely run by volunteers so all income is directed to the cost of operating the service.

Overall expenses amounted to £36,914, an increase of 10% compared with 2023. Total income amounted to £46,347, a 53% increase on 2023, resulting in a surplus for the year. The significant increase in income largely reflects a successful application to the National Lottery Fund and also a substantial donation from St Albans Cathedral, which selected Centre 33 as a charity to benefit from donations at their Christmas 2022 services.

The cost of food and household items has risen by 11% compared with 2023: this partly reflects the need to increase catering for increased visitor numbers mid-year, in addition to the general rise in the cost of food and disposables. The rise in expense on volunteer management and support reflects increased uptake of training to obtain Level 2 Food Safety certification by volunteers involved in food preparation.

We continue to be grateful to the Salvation Army who generously allow Centre 33 to operate the evening meal service at their Citadel 5 days each week: the special outgoings indicated in the accounts reflect donations made to cover the costs of gas and electricity consumed during Centre 33’s service during the year.

The bulk of Centre 33’s income comes from successful grant applications and from donations from individuals, local businesses, churches, the synagogue (who also provide monthly meals for which we are very grateful) and other local voluntary organisations. Many individual donors wish to remain anonymous, but we are pleased to acknowledge substantial donations and grants from St Albans Cathedral, St Albans Lions Club, St Albans Choral Society, St Albans Round Table, The JD Foundation, Hertfordshire Community Foundation, Hertfordshire County Council, The Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund, administered by the National Lottery Community Fund and Magenta Self-Storage, (who kindly provide storage facilities for us at no cost).

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The Trustees

The Trustees during 2024 are shown below.

Trustees 2024 Chairman Melanie O’Neill Vice Chairman Bob Barrett Secretary Andrew Copley Treasurer Melanie O’Neill (resigned 5 Dec 24) John Scott (appointed 5 Dec 24) Minutes Secretary Penny Williams Other Trustees Diluxshy Elangaratnam Claire Farquhar Peter Graham David Grimshaw (resigned 9 Jan 24) Chris Lewis Chrystalla Spire

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Reference and Administrative Details of the Company

CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

Reference and Administrative Details of the Company its Trustees and Advisers for the period ended 31 December 2024

Board of directors/trustees as at 31 December 2024

Mr RE Barrett Mr AP Copley Dr D Elangaratnam Mrs C Farquhar Mr P Graham Mr C Lewis Dr M O’Neill Mr J Scott Ms C Spire Mrs PA Williams JP, DL

Company registered number

7955132

Charity registered number

1146438

Registered office

2a Spicer Street St Albans Herts AL3 4PQ

Company secretary

Mr AP Copley

Independent examiner

Mr R McClure Chartered Accountant Unit 82739 PO Box 6945 London W1A 6US

Bankers

Lloyds TSB 36 Chequer Street St Albans Herts AL1 3YQ

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Report of the Directors

CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

Report of the Directors for the period ended 31 December 2024

The Board of Directors (members of which are also Trustees for the purposes of the Charity Commission) present their annual report for the year ended 31 December 2024. The Directors confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company’s governing body and the current provisions of the 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)).

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

a. Constitution

Incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 on 20 February 2012, the company (number 7955132) is a private company limited by guarantee, does not have a share capital and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The company is also a charity (number1146438).

The directors, who were also trustees throughout the financial period, unless stated otherwise, were:

Mr RE Barrett Mr AP Copley Dr D Elangaratnam Mrs C Farquhar Mr P Graham Mr DM Grimshaw (resigned 9 January 2024) Mr C Lewis Dr M O’Neill Mr John Scott (appointed 5 Dec 2024) Ms C Spire Mrs PA Williams

Mr Chris Lewis was due to retire by rotation and, being willing to offer himself for re-election, was re-elected at the Annual General Meeting held on 2[nd] September 2024 and the election on 7[th] November 2024 of each of Diluxshy Elangaratnam and Chrystalla Spire as a director and trustee was also confirmed at that meeting.

b. Method of appointment or election of board of directors

Potential members of the board/trustees are identified by their profession and experience and consideration is given to how these attributes may complement those of the existing trustees to provide a broad skill base to meet the challenges and responsibilities of the Company. Prospective members are invited to attend meetings so that they may gain an insight into the operation of the Company and an understanding of the responsibilities to be undertaken and the commitment required.

c. Policies adopted for the induction and training of board members

Beyond basic induction procedures no formal training is usually provided as this should not be necessary due to the background and experience of the prospective members.

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d. Organisational structure and decision making

The board/trustees are responsible for the supervision of the activities of the Company. It has a minimum of five meetings annually and full minutes are circulated to all directors/trustees, all of whom are volunteers. The minutes are made available to the independent examiner.

The day-to-day management of the Centre is described in earlier sections of this report.

e. Risk management

The directors/trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charitable company is exposed and are satisfied that the systems are in place to mitigate exposure to those risks.

POLICIES AND OBJECTS

The objects of the charitable company are contained in the company’s articles of association and are the relief of persons in need who are homeless or suffering from psychological or physical infirmity or who by reasons of adverse circumstances, ill health or who are suffering or have suffered a legal restriction on their liberty in any penal or corrective establishment are in need of help in acquiring a settled way of life and in particular but without limiting the generality of the foregoing by the provision for such persons of a shelter (or a home of rest) and the comfort of friendship.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

a. Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the directors/trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

b. Review of activities

An overview and review of the 2024 year is contained in earlier sections of this report.

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Directors’ Responsibilities Statement

CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

Directors’ Responsibilities Statement

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Directors’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Statements (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the Directors must not approve the financial statements 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 Directors are required to:

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions and 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.

Provision of information to Independent Examiner

Each Director has confirmed that:

So far as that Director is aware, there is no relevant financial information, of which the company’s independent examiner is unaware: and

The Directors have taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Board in order to be aware of any information needed by the company’s independent examiner in connection with preparing his report and to establish that the company’s independent examiner is aware of that information.

Independent Examiner

Mr Richard McClure indicated his willingness to continue to examine the company’s financial statements and the Directors will propose a motion to reappoint him at the next Annual General Meeting.

This report was approved by the Directors on 6[th] May 2025 and signed on their behalf by Mr AP Copley, Director.

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Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees

CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

Report to the trustees/directors of Centre 33 (St Albans) Limited (company number 7955132 and charity number 1146438) on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 as set out on pages 16 to 20.

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited for this year under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act).

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that:

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.

Signed

Richard McClure Chartered Accountant Unit 82739 PO Box 6945 London W1A 6US

Date 6[th] May 2025

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Financial Statements

CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Note
INCOMING RESOURCES
Incoming resources from generated funds
Voluntary income
2, 4
Investment income
3
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable activities
5
Governance costs
6
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
NET (DEFICIT)/SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR
TOTAL FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD
TOTAL FUNDS AT 31 DECEMBER*
2024
2024
2024
2023
Unrestricted
Restricted
TOTAL
£
£
£
£
33,256
12,084
45,340
30,133
1,007
0
1,007
237
34,263
12,084
46,347
30,370
24,523
12,084
36,607
33,284
307
0
307
299
24,830
12,084
36,914
33,583
9,433
0
9,433
(3,213)
50,952
0
50,952
54,165
60,385
0
60,385
50,952

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CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

Note
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors and prepaid expenses
Short term deposits
Cash at bank and in hand
CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL
CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year
Accruals and deferred income
NET ASSETS
Represented by:
ACCUMULATED UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
Funds brought forward
Surplus/(Deficit) for the year
TOTAL FUNDS
2024
£
690
0
60,145
60,835
(450)
60,385
50,952
9,433
60,385
2023
£
0
15,000
38,743
53,743
(2,791)
50,952
54,165
(3,213)
50,952

The company's financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime (Note 1, page 18)

Approved by the board of directors on 6[th] May 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Mr AP Copley, Director

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Notes to the Financial Statements

CENTRE 33 (ST ALBANS) LIMITED (A company limited by guarantee)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.1. Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared under the historic cost convention and 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015), and the Companies Act 2006.

1.2. Company status

The company is a company limited by guarantee. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company.

1.3. Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the company is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

1.4. Resources expended

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities.

1.5. Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the company and which have not been designated for other purposes. Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the 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 note 4 to the financial statements.

1.6. Non-monetary donations

Non-monetary donations are included in both income and expenditure if it is possible to measure the cost of the goods or service provided reliably. It is not possible to quantify the provision of time given by both trustees and volunteers and this is therefore not included in income and expenditure - but is described in note 7. It is also not possible to quantify the provision of Centre 33's premises at Spicer Street or the temporary use of the Salvation Army Citadel, both of which are described in note 7.

1.7. Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is calculated on a straight line basis to write off the cost over its estimated useful life as follows: Equipment: 5 years. Fixed assets with a value under £1,000 are written off as expenditure in the Statement of Financial Activities.

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2. VOLUNTARY INCOME
Grants
Donations
Fund raising
3. INVESTMENT INCOME
Bank interest
2024
2024
2024
2023
Unrestricted £
Restricted £
Total £
£
3,416
12,084
15,500
5,500
26,292
0
26,292
21,932
3,548
0
3,548
2,701
33,256
12,084
45,340
30,133
2024
2024
2024
2023
Unrestricted £
Restricted £
Total £
£
1,007
0
1,007
237

4. UNRESTRICTED FUNDS

A grant of £12,000 was obtained from The National Lottery Community Fund (NLF) under the Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund programme. £416 of the grant was a retrospective payment for expenses incurred between September and November 2023. The relevant expense was charged to unrestricted expenses in 2023 and this part of the grant has been taken to unrestricted income. The remaining £11,584 funded expenses arising from providing hot meals and a warm welcome for local people in need in St Albans between December 2023 and March 2024.

A grant of £200 was obtained from Hertfordshire Community Foundation (HCF) to fund training in Conflict Management for Centre 33 volunteers in March 2024. This grant was fully spent in the year.

A grant of £300 was obtained from Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) towards the cost of a winter celebration event for Centre 33 visitors in December 2024. This grant was fully spent in the year.

As described above all restricted funds received in the year were fully expended during the year. In 2024 all donations were counted as aligned with the sole purpose of Centre 33 and were deemed unrestricted.

5. RESOURCES EXPENDED ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Volunteer management and support
Food and other household costs
Repairs and maintenance
Heat, light and utilities
General administration
Clothing and Sleeping Bags
Special Outgoings
2024
2024
2024
2023
Restricted
£
Unrestricted
£
Total
£
£
NLF
HCC
HCF
Total
0
0
200
200
1,939
2,139
319
9,308
300
0
9,608
17,091
26,699
23,937
525
0
0
525
2091
2616
2,527
861
0
0
861
764
1,625
1,733
890
0
0
890
1,498
2,388
2,368
0
0
0
0
140
140
401
0
0
0
0
1000
1000
2,000
11,584
300
200
12,084
24,523
36,607
33,285

Note: Special Outgoings

Centre 33 began operating a takeaway meal service from the Salvation Army Citadel in St Albans after the Covid lockdown when it became impractical to use the Spicer St premises. The practice has continued throughout 2024 (now as a sit-down meal) as evening visitor numbers have risen and a new demographic of volunteers has been recruited, some of whom would find the access issues at Spicer St challenging.

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6. RESOURCES EXPENDED ON GOVERNANCE ACTIVITIES

a) Governance costs include the specific costs directly involved with the constitutional issues of the company as opposed to generating voluntary income, fund raising or undertaking charitable work to meet its objects. b) Trustees are not remunerated but are entitled to reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred in the furtherance of their duties. No expenses were paid to trustees in the year (2023: nil).

c) The trustees incur expenditure on behalf of the charity and this expenditure is reimbursed to them. The amount to be reimbursed for 2024 was £27,635 (2023: £25,819). In 2024 eight (2023: seven) trustees were reimbursed for expenditure incurred.

d) No charge was incurred for the independent examination of the accounts (2023: nil).

7. DONATIONS IN KIND

Rent : The premises occupied by Centre 33, 2A Spicer St, St Albans AL3 4PQ are owned by St Albans District Council. They are leased to Centre 33 rent free. The Salvation Army offered the use of its premises, at the Citadel, 16-18 Victoria Street, St Albans AL1 3JB rent free throughout 2024 for provision of the evening meal service.

Voluntary work : Centre 33 is operated entirely by volunteers, of which there are approximately 165 listed as active on Centre 33's database. During the year, rota volunteers donated 3,667 hours (2023: 3,010 hours) of their time. Centre 33's trustees donated time to running the charity: it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of this time during the year.

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