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2024-08-31-accounts

Charity number: 1147172

DANIEL'S DEN

Charitable Incorporated Organisation no. 1147172

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

NfP Accountants Ltd

DANIEL’S DEN

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

CONTENTS

Reference and administrative information 1
Trustees' annual report 2
Independent examiner's report 30
Statement of financial activities 32
Balance sheet 33
Notes to the financial statements 34

DANIEL’S DEN

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Trustees Keith Brown Caroline Winterburn Ketan Sheth (resigned July 2024)

Judith Abbott

Yvonne Smith Trevor Goddard

Charity reg. no. 1147172

Registered office 38 Berkhamsted Avenue Wembley Middlesex HA9 6DT

Independent examiner Charles Ssempijja, FCA NFP Accountants Ltd 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street London EC2A 4NE

Bankers HSBC Plc Metro Bank 16 King Street One Southampton Row Covent Garden London London, WC2E 8JF WC1B 5HA

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The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2023. The Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the charity's governing document, and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP FRS 102) (edition October 2019, effective January 2019), and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

Income and expenditure have been analysed on a 'natural basis, taking advantage of sections 4.6 and 4.22-4.26 of this SORP.

Structure, Governance and Management

Structure and governing document

Daniel's Den is a registered Charity number 114172 and was converted, on 28 March 2022, to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation when a new constitution was adopted.

Organisational structure and decision making

The governance of the Charity is the responsibility of the Trustees. Day to day management is by the Chief Executive Officer, who draws on the support and expertise of the highly experienced Board of Trustees as needed.

Appointment of Trustees

Trustees are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association and the Charity’s own procedures. Regular reviews are held to identify any expertise gaps within the Board of Trustees and appointments are made where required to strengthen the Board of Trustees, subject to all trustees’ approval.

When it is necessary to appoint new trustees, due to either a trustee stepping down or a gap of expertise in the board is identified, recruitment will initially begin through the networks of the board and management team. Applicants will be reviewed by trustees and the successful applicant will be invited to attend a trustee meeting. Following this, on the provision that the board are satisfied and the applicant still wishes to join the trustee board, they will be appointed.

No other person or external body is entitled to appoint any trustees of the Charity. The Trustees who served during the period and after the year end are shown on page 1.

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Trustee induction and training

The Charity provides new trustees with an induction pack and mentoring from the Chair. The Charity has limited resources for formal training of the trustee body. However, on-going training opportunities are announced to trustees when these become available pro bono.

Related party relationships

The Charity has considered the disclosure requirements of the SORP for related party relationships. The Charity has no related party connections with other organisations. The trustees consider that the members of the board, and their close connections, to be the only related parties of the Charity. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the Charity.

Trustees are required to disclose all relevant interests and register them with the Chair of Trustees and to withdraw from decisions where a conflict of interest arises.

Pay policy for senior staff

The pay of the Charity’s Chief Executive Officer is reviewed annually. The trustees draw on their knowledge of the sector and common practice in other charities of similar size to ensure that the remuneration set is fair and not out of line with that generally paid for similar roles.

Risk Management

The Board of Trustees fully accepts its responsibilities for ensuring that the major risks to which the Charity is exposed are identified, and that there are systems and procedures in place to mitigate those risks. The Charity has a Finance and Risk Sub Committee (FRSC) which monitors the risks and reports to the Board. The Charity maintains a risk register.

Objectives and activities Purposes and principal activities

To enhance the development and education of children up to and including eleven years of age, but primarily those under statutory school age, by encouraging parents and carers to understand and provide for the needs of their children through community groups and by:

These objects shall be undertaken in accordance with Christian principles whilst recognising the diversity of a multi-faith society.

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Beneficiaries of our services

Principal activities

To have family life valued in all levels of society both locally and nationally.

Public benefit

The Board of Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.

Achievements and performance

The trustees review the aims, objectives and activities of the Charity each year. This report looks at what the Charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The trustees

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report the success of each key activity and the benefits the Charity has brought to those groups of people that it is set up to help. The review also helps the trustees ensure the Charity's aims, objectives and activities remained focused on its stated purposes.

The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

In this report, we reflect on our five objectives (these form the basis of our principal activities) and demonstrate the outputs and impact of our work. We are proud of the impact we’ve made and are keen to see a toddler group within walking distance of every family. We feel this level of support can make a world of difference to our children, their families and local communities.

Our Objectives

To have family life valued in all levels of society both locally and nationally.

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Objective one: Establishing and running parent and toddler groups, recognised as first rate by users.

The distribution of carers is shown below:

It is great to see that at least 20% of the adult carers registered are dads – this is an increase on previous years.

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Child members

The distribution of ages in child members are shown below:

Our structure for each of our sessions is simple and laid out on a timetable poster. This is both helpful to the team running the session and to the families attending. Whilst some attendees would like to spend more time singing, free play or eating, we believe our structure works well. Our simple ‘exemplar group self-assessment form’ was trialled this year and we hope to develop this further as a way of ensuring our groups are the best they can be and in line with our overall structure.

We recognise the need for constant training and modelling re the DD way of running a session and will be doing some training videos to show how to set up the room, how to run special events eg Sports Day.

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Venues

Throughout the year we met in the following venues, and we are so glad this affords us the opportunity to offer a toddler group within walking distance for families in those areas. We were delighted that we were able to open three new venues – shown by *

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Our relationship with each venue is different and we are keen to build community in whatever ways we can, working with the venue hosts and other local community groups.

‘We have loved hosting Daniel’s Den on Wednesday mornings. They always leave the premises clean and tidy, and are very respectful of our space’ Session Host

‘Great to see church involvement and updates at St Cuthbert’s. Makes it feel more like a community even if we do not attend the church’ Parent.

Other sessions we run include:

Looking at the stark facts about provision for 0-5 in Brent through parent and toddler groups, we realise what a vital role we play in the borough (we currently provide over 50% of the current seventeen toddler groups). We are a lifeline for many.

Potential new venues for 2024-2025 include:

Staff and Volunteer Team

We would not be able to do what we do without our staff and volunteer team.

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Our team of session leaders and deputies

We now have two full time and four part time members of staff plus paid session leaders.

The year started with the announcement of two pregnancies in the staff team and we were delighted to welcome babies Honey and Coco in early 2024. We were delighted to welcome Sabrina on board as Operations Assistant and Laura as Database and Volunteer Coordinator, as well as enlist a new part time member of staff to cover the bookkeeping – they have admirably covered the maternity leave. Judith, one of our trustees said, ‘Daniel’s Den has demonstrated it has the necessary systems in place to cover a key member of staff being absent for a long period of time – this is so encouraging and demonstrate that our risk assessment/mitigating procedures are robust’.

As new groups opened, we were able to offer paid positions to 2 new Session Leaders.

We have over fifty volunteers and were delighted that students from the College of Northwest London were able to join us in the summer term for work experience.

Work experience students

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We had a wonderful celebration evening for all our volunteers and Linda Concannon was presented with the Emma Hay Sunshine Memorial award.

Staff and Volunteers engaged in various training opportunities including:

Volunteers at our annual Away Day

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These are some of our outputs but what about the outcomes?

a) Users – children and parents/carers

A picture speaks a thousand words, and these pictures show what people have experienced.

The adults’ feedback:

In our annual Feedback Fortnight, we asked parents for their input

ONLY 3% of registered members have only attended once’. ’ The most attended person came to 86 sessions last year’ – this report extracted from our database is encouraging and demonstrates that people like what they experience and return!

Here are some of the comments we have received this year from the adults: ‘I love Daniel's Den and all that it offers.’

‘DD is an excellent place to make friends. It also includes everybody whatever their religion, race or colour’. In our annual Feedback Fortnight over 80% said they had made a new friend at Daniel’s Den.

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‘They go above and beyond and making you feel so welcomed and part of team/family at Daniel’s Den.’

‘The staff and volunteers are lovely. Knowing they are there each week and take an interest in each child is seriously special - thank you!’

‘The session leaders are welcoming each time we attend the sessions They are fully engaged with the child and do encourage me to play with my child. I have both well connected with the child and me it is provides me a safe environment to speak and share any concerns I may have about my child’s growth. My heart felt gratitude to both and the Daniels Den team’.

‘Keep doing what you do, it is great to have free opportunities for families in the area. My shy daughter bonded with the leaders very well and they advised me on schools and nursery.’

The children’s feedback:

This year we asked the children to choose a picture of their favourite activity, and these are the results:

Out of 112 Children asked over 25% enjoyed singing time most. 50% of children at the Grand Union Hub voted snack time as the best part of the session.

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- b) Events, crafts, and sensory play highlights

Crafts

This year we created weekly videos demonstrating the crafts for the coming week. These were uploaded to our YouTube channel, and we have received lots of positive feedback from families who watch them.

‘Oh, they are the best ones. Children are eager to hear your voice once they start following you’ , parent comment via Facebook.

Nativity Week

This is always a highlight of our year.

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Birthday Week and Disco This annual event is a firm favourite.

Sports Week

The children and parents are engaged in running, balancing, jumping, throwing and so much more during this week and the joy of seeing children and their parents/carers taking part is so rewarding. Every child receives a certificate for taking part.

Sowing Seeds

We were delighted to be able to offer a weekly session during the summer term for under-fives and their parents and carers. They had the opportunity to experience digging, planting, and playing in our allotment.

Every child had the opportunity to plant and grow a bulb in all our sessions. One mum had never done this before and was very apprehensive – how do I keep it alive? She proudly shared a photo of the daffodils when it flowered on her balcony

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Music Week

This took place in March, and we were delighted that local musician came to play their instruments in some of our sessions.

Pop Up sessions

We ran 2 pop up sessions at Brent Civic Centre (Ukrainian Event) and Ark Elvin (Winter Wonderland) and at each event our crafts were very popular. Able to model recycling with cardboard tubes and lots of intergenerational fun.

Great Get Together Picnic

A wonderful gathering for toddler groups across Wembley in King Edwards Park.

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T-shirts

This year saw the return of our branded t-shirts, and these have been very popular with all ages.

c) TEAMWORK – our volunteers and staff Here are a couple of quotes from parents:

‘Everyone involved in Daniel's Den contributes to the success of the sessions. The hard work, commitment and friendly demeanour make a big difference’.

‘Linda, Anne and Gina are wonderful volunteers who always speak to the parents and careers and try to form a relationship with the children. They are so thoughtful and kind’.

Sabrina – a case study of a staff member in her words ‘Daniels Den? Where do I start?

I had never heard of Daniel’s Den – How was that possible given that I was born and bred in Brent?

I was looking for a part-time job that would work around the kids. I had mentioned this to a few people. Fahim who works for Sufra (local foodbank), mentioned this role to me and that's when I first heard about Daniel's Den.

I feel very passionate about the charity sector, so this seemed like the perfect role especially as it works around term-time. I returned to employment after 8 years not sure what to expectsurely it was just another parent toddler group?

Joining the DD family was one of the best things I could have done. Its unique in that it not only brings the community together, but it gives so many people the opportunity to get involved which makes such a difference.

DD is most definitely not just a parent & toddler group but a wonderful concept which has so much more to offer but above welcomes all. I have been welcomed with open arms. I feel a lot more confident within myself and my capabilities. I could not have picked a better place to start my work journey.

The picture shows Sabrina dropping off a donation of clothes to a local foodbank.

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Jade – a case study of a volunteer in her own words

When you first asked me to be an official volunteer I was so happy to be able to still be part of Daniel’s Den as Nevaeh was starting nursery. I had just found out I was pregnant with baby number 4 so I wasn’t really sure what I would do with myself. However, the more I processed the idea the self-doubt kicked in and I wasn’t sure what I had to offer such a great charity. I had no confidence and with being out of work for so long my social skills were not very good - I didn’t have much time for adult conversations with 3 kids.

I had no talents or skills – I was just a mum from Wembley.

But since volunteering I finally know people in my community. After living here for over 10 years I can now walk through the street and see so many faces who attend our sessions. My confidence has blossomed and I’m learning new things and skills every week. I’m so grateful to be part of such an amazing team and I can’t wait to see what the future brings for me at Daniel’s Den. I also feel it’s helped me a lot mentally not being stuck in a flat all day with a baby and getting out and meeting other mums going through the same experiences and struggles as it makes you feel a lot better about yourself and gave me a lot of confidence with my breast-feeding journey.

Everyone needs a Daniels Den in their life.

‘From day one when I first stood in for a friend, I’ve enjoyed every moment’ A volunteer.

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Objective two: Offering parenting support.

The need to support parents is paramount and we do this implicitly and explicitly.

We offer implicit parenting support through the way we run our sessions, modelling positive behaviours and experiences. Creating the opportunity for safe play, shared singing, playdough and being able to have a cup of tea made by someone else whilst your child plays with someone else is often the lifeline parents need. Lots of our volunteers are parents and their lived experiences give them a real sense of empathy with attendees, and they are attuned to recognising the anxieties of parents.

‘Jo was very welcoming to me and my 2 girls on my very first-time attending Daniel’s Dan a few months ago, made me feel very welcome as I just explained that I had come out of an abusive relationship’.

‘Natalie’s always welcoming even after not seeing us for a while since we only come occasionally, and it makes it so much easier to settle back in and keep coming when we can. Thank you!’

Our explicit parenting support comes in different ways:

WhatsApp groups

Each of our venues have their own WhatsApp group and these are a wonderful way for registered families to stay connected, share ideas etc. They really help people who may feel isolated, and this is demonstrated by a quote for one of our families:

‘WhatsApp group is quite useful to connect with others and the staff, share info and stay updated with Daniel's Den upcoming activities. Excellent peer support!’

Welcome packs.

We gave out welcome packs to our newly registered parents and this included a welcome letter with guidelines for expected behaviours, songbook and our twelve parenting postcards in a hessian branded bag. These cards offer bite sized advice on topics such as sleep, manners, eating, boundaries etc.

Hotspots

This year our Hotspots have been on hold as we aim to develop these into a podcast – watch this space. We hope to cover various topics and interview guests including Catherine Allard Head Teacher at John Keble School re school readiness and the impact of screen time on children.

Visits

We welcomed visitors from Children and Family Information Service, Speech and Language Therapists, Oral Health Team, Vaccination awareness etc who listened and gave information to the parents and carers.

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Practical help

We were able to donate clothes, books and food to asylum seekers and help people donate clothes and baby equipment items to Little Village, a local baby bank. People are so glad they can de-clutter their stuff from their homes and know they are going to be re-purposed and not be put in land fill.

Dads’ Zone

We ran sessions every month and it is great to offer this opportunity for dads to connect. We are so happy that we will be running 2 Dad’s Zones each month next year in two different venues.

I think Dad’s Zone is good because often dads don’t get to spend time with their kids and this can be for a variety of reasons – work, separation etc. Men aren’t big talkers and Dad’s Zone creates an opening to talking in a safe space. It makes a world of difference.

Kids gravitate to mum. Often relationships fail because the couple’s attention is taken off each other and on to the child. It’s great to bring my child and see what mum sees – gives you something to bond over, especially when you get back home.’

‘This is a lovely place – it’s hard to describe. It’s a nice opportunity to give my wife time to do things for herself even if she doesn’t do them. My little one gets to play with other children which is great – he doesn’t go to nursery, and we don’t have family in this country. We’ll be moving house soon and I’ll be looking for somewhere for dads there too.

The Net

This project involves monthly pop ups in a local hotel for asylum seekers – it continues to go well – and it is such a joy to see families coming to our other groups when we are not at the hotel. We have received lots of donations of clothes, easter eggs, toys, books and so much more. A local charity Harrow Care Plus donated some money which enabled many of the families from The Net to go on our annual trip to Willows Farm.

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Quote from a grandparent

‘All the team at Daniels Den are kind and full of energy. Always made to feel welcome. As a grandmother it has been a great support.’

Objective three: Enabling people to recognise the value of parent and toddler groups.

Our video highlighting what we do continues to be a great tool in showing people the value of our groups.

We were delighted to be involved (along with other organisations) in the production and launch of the booklet ‘It’s not just a parent and toddler group’, https://notjustaparentandtoddler.group/ a wonderful resource highlighting the ways in which toddler groups help with school readiness. We organised a launch in Parliament in October 2023, and this was attended by the Shadow Minister for Children and Families Helen Hayes MP as well as other academics, decision makers and toddler group leaders from across the UK. There was an online launch, and we have been able to put it into the hands of many people including Lord Farmer (Family Hubs lead) and Rachel De Souza, the Children’s Commissioner.

Launch of the booklet It's not just a parent and toddler group in Parliament October 2023

Opportunities to be a voice for toddler groups regarding their value and the contribution they make were numerous throughout the year.

We ran events and contributed to the following publications, research papers, speaking engagements, etc:

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Canterbury Christ Church University – our CEO is part of the advisory group and attended a national review in Canterbury.

Building Blocks conference - our CEO was the keynote speaker for this conference across three cities in Ireland and Northern Ireland

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Social media

We use various social media channels including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In and possibly Tik Tok

We use these channels to share news of what we do, and the comments and responses are great.

We are hoping to develop the reach via these channels in 2024-2025 with the help of one of our new volunteers who wants to use her expertise and experience in getting the message out there.

Objective four: fostering mutual cooperation and support for toddler groups. Brent

Brent Parent and Toddler Network met a couple of times during the year – we were so pleased to be part of a gathering of toddler groups across Brent on June 4[th] at St Marks Church in Kensal Rise a part of Love Where You Live. We do hope we can reach out to more groups across Brent and be able to support churches in starting new groups etc.

London

The London Network for Parent and Toddler Groups is an official project of Daniel’s Den and has a small steering group that coordinate events and activities. We have termly Zoom meetings and an annual conference called Rhythms of Grace. This took place in October 2023 in Putney and everyone who attended went away supported and encouraged regarding the running of toddler groups or starting one. We had a face-to-face meeting with key leaders for boroughbased networks in Covent Garden and ten boroughs were represented.

UK

Jo Gordon (Daniel’s Den CEO) is now the official leader of the 1277 Movement and the focus is on signposting and connecting toddler group leaders. The vision is that there should be a toddler group within walking distance (or short car journey in rural situations) for every family in the nation. Support is offered primarily through the 1277 Facebook group. We coordinated the National Month of Prayer in June and are presently putting together a fabric collage in the shape a mustard seed tree, a tangible recognition of the diversity of groups across the UK. Our operations manager led a seminar at the Playtime National Conference in September, and we had an exhibition stand for 1277.

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Objective five: supporting the choice of stay-at-home parents and raising awareness of the value they bring to society.

We continue to do this by affirming parents when they come to the sessions and being a voice on social media/conferences etc. There is no one size fits all and every family is different in shape, size, and makeup.

MONEY

Fundraising

We ran several fundraising events:

It is not all about the money … here is an inspirational story.

It’s not just a hand painted plate.

During the spring half term, our CEO went round all our toddler groups making hand painted plates. It is one of our annual fundraisers. She has been doing it for 20 years and she loves making these memories, knowing that the plates will be appreciated by so many. Some have gone to Japan; others are waiting for a trip to the USA, and many have been shared in advance on FaceTime and social media. Valentines, Mother’s Day, Grandad’s 70th birthday - whatever the occasion we know these plates will be given and received with love.

There was one plate which stood out - both in the making and the collecting. Grandma was so excited and bubbled over with infectious joy about making a plate with her 3-year-old granddaughter. ‘Oooo - I love our time together and I want us to have a plate to share’. Our CEO didn’t quite realise she wanted her handprint on the plate too and we had to do some careful positioning to make it work. We made sure the writing complemented the design and was so excited to give it to her.

When the mum came to pick up the plate and she began to tell me the story of the grandma.

This grandma was from Kosovo and had fled her homeland to come to the UK in 1995, due to the impending danger from the war. Her husband was a target. She had had a number of miscarriages and lost a baby son when he was 4 months old. She now had a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, and their safety was her motivation to flee. She arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker with nothing but felt she had found a haven. Life was challenging but stories of the brutality back home in Kosovo were confirmation she did the right thing. Neighbours being massacred and women being forced to watch.

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Being a refugee was a challenge but also life changer and now this 3 and 1 year old are adults, with good jobs and a growing family.

It suddenly dawned on us that the granddaughter was 3 years old - the age her mum was when she came to the UK as an asylum seeker. No wonder this grandma wanted to create a plate together - and why she holds her granddaughter so close.

We will never know fully the story behind the hands on these plates. We were so thankful to hear this story - so moving and so real. A reminder that offering a warm welcome to others, wherever and why ever they come to us, is so important!

Gifts in Kind

We continue to be supported by local businesses with practical help and donations.

Sisk helped purchase all our craft and office materials and gifted us with two laptops for our team. They are always on hand to help move furniture.

Sisk presenting two new laptops to our team

Tesco have given us lots of clothing, food, and stationery items which we have redistributed to local charities.

Wembley Community Club have enabled us to offer 20 Stadium Tour tickets, 50 tickets to Women’s FA Cup Final, 100 tickets for a Lioness game, 2 tickets for Bruce Springsteen and 2 tickets for Taylor Swift – wow!!

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The Ark – Co-living space offer us use of their premises for meetings, training etc.

We have started a corporate relationship with Realm – the company that manages the shops and restaurants in the London Designer Outlet. They volunteered at our Great Get Together Picnic and will donate left over stock.

Another story - The power of the ask!

In January, our chaplain Trevor visited our session, The Net, in the Holiday Inn Wembley. He loved the bubble machine as much as the children and he said his group needed a machine. I added bubble machines to our Amazon Wishlist and within 24 hours, 4 had arrived!

Thanks go to our funders:

Reaching Communities (The National Lottery), Brent Together Toward Zero Fund, Quintain, Sisk, Robert Southall, Garfield Weston, Harrow Care Plus, Children in Need, Souter Trust, regular givers & one-off donors.

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Conclusion

The 3 key words for Daniel’s Den 2023-2024 were: PLAY – we want all our children and adults to wallow in rich play experiences SMALL – it’s the little things that make a difference DADS – how can we reach more dads and offer support?

In various ways we addressed these – as outlined through this report.

We are committed to seeing our dream of having a toddler group within walking distance of every family become a reality. Opening three new venues this year has been a delight and whilst some doors close, we are always aware that new ones open too.

We are planning a major marketing/awareness campaign in September so that people know about what we have to offer and can find a place of welcome, whether it is a Daniel’s Den or another toddler group close by.

Our infrastructure has really supported the activities we have delivered this year, and we are now beginning to look at how to strengthen this even more – having the physical space and capacity to build our team and resources.

We have been recruiting more trustees to strengthen our board and we hope to induct three in the coming year – all local parents who want to make a positive contribution to the development of the charity.

The turmoil in the streets of our nation in summer 2024 caused one of our partners to write to us, affirming what we do.

‘I know I keep mentioning this, but with all the dreadful rioting going on, it is the time to try and spotlight the work Daniel’s Den and other toddler groups do. Community cohesion, safe places for all cultures to meet, Good Samaritan ethos … I think you should write to ‘The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’. So much good, so much positive foundation building, so much of bringing people

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together. We so need this hidden treasure to be revealed for the amazingly positive work that it does!’

Who knows what 2024-2025 will bring? One thing we do know is, we hope to positively encourage and influence family life in Brent and beyond.

Financial review

The charity achieved net income for the year of £29,858 (2023 - £50,654), details of which are shown in the Statement of Financial Activities on page 36. This brings the charity’s total funds to £137,374 (2021 - £107,516). Of this, £50,890 was unrestricted funds (2023 - £48,394), which also constitute the free reserves of the charity.

Total income for the year increased to £196,425 (2023 - total income was £182,122). Total expenditure amounted to £166,567 (2023 - total expenditure was £131,468).

Reserves Policy

The charity's reserves policy is to hold reserves that are sufficient to cover 3 months of working capital in case fundraising efforts do not deliver in line with expectations. At the balance sheet date, the Trustees estimate this would require reserves of £35,000. The Charity’s reserves at the end of the reporting period were £50,890, which is above this level. The trustees are satisfied that this is prudent buffer in the current uncertain funding environment.

Going Concern

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

The Trustees are grateful of the continued financial support from: Reaching Communities (The National Lottery), Brent Together Toward Zero Fund, Quintain, Sisk, Robert Southall, Harrow Care Plus, Children in Need, Souter Trust, regular givers & one-off donors.

28

DANIEL’S DEN

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The Charity continues to work strategically with Sisk, and our venue hosts of course. This financial and moral support provides a firm foundation for the Charity’s activities which are set to increase even further in the next financial year.

Approval

This report was approved by the Trustees on 24 April 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Keith Brown Trustee

29

DANIEL'S DEN

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

For the year ended 31 August 2024

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2024 set out on pages 36 to 42.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and examiner

The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

/Continued…

30

…/Continued

I understand that the financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view, and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, only to the extent required to provide a 'true and fair view'. This departure has involved following SORP FRS102 (effective January 2019), rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 (SORP 2005), which is referred to in the exitant regulations, but has since been withdrawn.

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.

Charles Ssempijja, FCA

NfP Accountants Ltd Chartered Accountants 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street London EC2A 4NE Date: …………………………. 08 May 2025

31

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES for the year ended 31 August 2024

Unrestricted
Funds
Notes
£
INCOME FROM
Session donations
25,110
Regular donations
8,904
One off donations
5,816
Grants
-
HMRC Gift Aid
6,397
Events and trips
4,398
Fundraising
7,060
Other income (including bank interest)
1,578
TOTAL INCOME
59,263
EXPENDITURE ON
Salary costs
3
44,943
Other staff costs
4
2,477
Running costs & overheads
Crafts & Activities Supplies
-
Rent & Utilities
-
Events and trips
2,939
Host venue rent
-
Equipment and Furniture
10
Refreshments
295
Office supplies, printing & postage
37
Phone & Internet
-
Website
-
Travel and subsistence
445
Database Fees
-
Annual Subscriptions for IT Platforms
-
Memberships & subscriptions
170
Professional fees
3,274
DBS fees
-
Insurance
-
Marketing and publicity
347
Donations made
965
Other expenses
85
Independent examination fees
780
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
56,767
2,496
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
2,496
TOTAL FUNDS AT 01 SEPTEMBER
48,394
TOTAL FUNDS AT 31 AUGUST
50,890
Net income before transfers		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
500
136,662
-
-
-
-
137,162
74,245
8,823
4,015
1,680
62
12,171
483
160
420
1,068
1,638
423
648
322
226
1,743
448
1,080
145
-
-
-
109,800
27,362
27,362
59,122
86,484		 Total Funds
2024
£
25,110
8,904
6,316
136,662
6,397
4,398
7,060
1,578
196,425
119,188
11,300
4,015
1,680
3,001
12,171
493
455
457
1,068
1,638
868
648
322
396
5,017
448
1,080
492
965
85
780
166,567
29,858
29,858
107,516
137,374		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
19,514
7,696
8,873
21,889
1,563
3,182
4,455
480
67,652
14,720
1,433
2,340
980
2,309
970
29
46
90
721
210
192
659
5
10
2,060
438
872
399
1,128
159
-
29,770
37,882
37,882
10,512
48,394		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
114,470
-
-
-
-
114,470
84,677
6,674
2,932
700
2,170
2,395
179
4
74
3
8
55
648
222
77
880
-
-
-
-
-
-
101,698
12,772
12,772
46,350
59,122		 Total Funds
2023
£
19,514
7,696
8,873
136,359
1,563
3,182
4,455
480
182,122
99,397
8,107
5,272
1,680
4,479
3,365
208
50
164
724
218
247
1,307
227
87
2,940
438
872
399
1,128
159
-
131,468
50,654
50,654
56,862
107,516

All incoming resources and outgoing resources derive from continuing activities.

The annexed notes form part of these financial statements

32

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charitable incorporated organisation no. 1147172)

BALANCE SHEET As at 31 August 2024

Notes
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors: other debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
CREDITORS: amounts falling
due within one year
2
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES
NET ASSETS
FUNDS
Restricted funds
7
General fund (unrestricted)
7
TOTAL FUNDS		 2024
£
£
(6,150)
144,848
138,698
(1,324)
137,374
137,374
137,374
£
86,484
50,890
137,374
**£ **		 2024
£
£
(6,150)
144,848
138,698
(1,324)
137,374
137,374
137,374
£
86,484
50,890
137,374
**£ **		 £
80
109,048		 2023
£
107,516
109,128
(1,612)
137,374 107,516
137,374
**£ **		 107,516
_£ _
86,484
50,890		 59,122
48,394
137,374
**£ **		 107,516
_£ _

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP FRS 102, edition October 2019, effective 01 January 2019), and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

They were approved, and authorised for issue, by the Trustees on 24 April 2025 and signed on their behalf by:-

Keith Brown Trustee

The annexed notes form part of these financial statements

33

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 August 2024

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP FRS 102) (edition October 2019, effective January 2019), and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

Income and expenditure have been analysed on a 'natural basis, taking advantage of sections 4.6 and 4.22-4.26 of the SORP.

The effect of events relating to the year ended 31 August 2024 which occurred before the date of approval of the financial statements by the Trustees has been included in the financial statements to the extent required to show a true and fair view of the state of affairs at 31 August 2024 and the results for the year ended on that date.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a 'true and fair view'. This departure has involved following SORP 2015 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 (SORP 2005) which has since been withdrawn.

Going concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Key judgements that the charity has made which have a significant effect on the accounts include estimating income and expenditure for the next 12 months.

Statement of Cash Flows

The Company has taken advantage of the exemption conferred by Section 1 of FRS102 in relation to the Statement of Cash Flows.

Income

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Grants which have a restriction as to timing are recognised over the period for which they are given.

The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in the accounts.

34

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 August 2024

Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objects of the Charity 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 which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Statutory grants which are given as contributions towards the Charity's core services are treated as unrestricted.

Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

All the expenditure of the charity is in the furtherance of its charitable activities and includes the costs of delivering services undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs.

Irrecoverable VAT is included in expenditure as part of the gross cost of items. Where VAT is recoverable, expenditure is shown net of this VAT.

Debtors

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

Cash at bank and in hand

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

Creditors and provisions

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

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

35

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 August 2024

2.
CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
Pensions payable
Accruals
Other creditors
Custodian funds held		 2024
£
499
780
-
45
1,324
**£ **		 2023
£
611
780
176
45
1,612
_£ _

3. STAFF COSTS AND NUMBERS

Unrestricted
Funds
2024
£
Gross pay
36,047
Employer NI
3,279
Employer pension
5,617
TOTAL STAFF COSTS
44,943
**£ **		 Restricted
Funds
2024
£
74,245
-
-
74,245
**£ **		 Total
Funds
2024
£
110,292
3,279
5,617
119,188
**£ **		 Total
Funds
2023
£
92,435
1,808
5,154
99,397
_£ _

The average weekly number of staff in the year (headcount) was 7 (2023 - 8). Remuneration to key management personnel, including employer pensions, amounted to £44,991 (2023 - £39,135).

No employees received remuneration in excess of £60,000 (2023 - the same).

4. OTHER STAFF COSTS

Unrestricted
Funds
2024
£
Sessional worker payments
2,347
Volunteer expenses
-
Staff training
130
Volunteer Training & Development
-
TOTAL OTHER STAFF COSTS
2,477
**£ **		 Restricted
Funds
2024
£
5,633
1,720
150
1,320
8,823
**£ **		 Total
Funds
2024
£
7,980
1,720
280
1,320
11,300
**£ **		 Total
Funds
2023
£
5,659
851
750
847
8,107
_£ _

36

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 August 2024

5. TRUSTEES

No Trustees received remuneration in the year (2023 - the same). No Trustees were paid for reimbursed expenses (2023 - the same).

6. CORPORATION TAX

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

7. STATEMENT OF FUNDS

Brought
Forward
£
2024
Restricted funds:
BBC Children in Need
-
Benefact Trust
-
KickStart - Impactful
Go
1,300
Brent - NCIL
697
London Diocesan Fund
-
NCIL - You Decide
4,950
Origin Housing Lim
706
Reaching Communities
46,625
National Park City
335
Wembley Central Big
Local
438
Robert Southall
-
Souter Trust
-
Thomas Welsh (Brent
zero)
2,159
Wembley Park
Community Fund
1,912
Total restricted funds
59,122
Unrestricted fund
48,394
Total funds
107,516
**£ **		 Incoming
Resources
£
9,112
6,000
-
-
500
-
-
115,770
-
-
2,808
2,972
-
-
137,162
59,263
196,425
**£ **		 Resources
Transfers &
Expended Gains / Losses
£
£
(6,520)
-
(2,185)
-
-
-
(697)
-
(229)
-
(4,950)
-
(706)
-
(88,687)
-
-
-
-
-
(2,808)
-
(2,972)
-
(46)
-
-
-
(109,800)
-
(56,767)
-
(166,567)
£
Nil
£		 Carried
Forward
£
2,592
3,815
1,300
-
271
-
-
73,708
335
438
-
-
2,113
1,912
86,484
50,890
137,374
**£ **

37

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 August 2024

Statement of funds: Continued - 2023
Brought
Forward
£
Restricted funds:
KickStart - Impactful
Go
256
Comic Relief
-
Brent - NCIL
5,950
NCIL - You Decide
-
Origin Housing Lim
-
National Park City
335
Wembley Central Big
Local
438
Reaching
Communities
37,459
Thomas Welsh (Brent
zero)
-
Wembley Park
Community Fund
1,912
Total restricted funds
46,350
Unrestricted fund
10,512
Total funds
56,862
_£ _		 Incoming
Resources
£
1,044
-
-
13,484
1,996
-
-
94,508
3,438
-
114,470
67,652
182,122
_£ _		 Resources
Expended
£
-
-
(5,253)
(8,534)
(1,290)
-
-
(85,342)
(1,279)
-
(101,698)
(29,770)
(131,468)
£		 Transfers &
Gains / Losses
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Nil
£		 Carried
Forward
£
1,300
-
697
4,950
706
335
438
46,625
2,159
1,912
59,122
48,394
107,516
_£ _

8. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

2024
Current assets
Creditors due within one year
2023
Current assets
Creditors due within one year		 General
Funds
2024
£
52,214
(1,324)
50,890
£
50,006
(1,612)
48,394
_£ _		 Restricted
Funds
2024
£
86,484
-
86,484
£
59,122
-
59,122
_£ _		 Total
Funds
2024
£
138,698
(1,324)
137,374
£
109,128
(1,612)
107,516
_£ _		 Total
Funds
2023
£
109,128
(1,612)
107,516
_£ _

38

DANIEL'S DEN (Registered charity no. 1147172)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 August 2024

9. OTHER LEGAL INFORMATION

Daniel's Den is a charitable incorporated organisation registered in England with registration number 1147172. Its registered office address is 38 Berkhamsted Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 6DT. The accounts are presented in GBP rounded to £1.

39