TIME BANK PLUS ANNUAL REPORT 2022/23
April 2022 to March 2023 has been in many ways a challenging year for Time Bank Plus, but we are happy to say that our small charity has come out of this period stronger, more focussed and with a clearer sense of purpose and direction, guided by the Strategic Review process we have been undertaking.
The aftermath of Covid was still evident at the beginning of the year and for some people the return to ‘normality’ was a gradual and sometimes difficult process. It has been heartening to see so many of our members out and about again, re-joining our groups and community-based activities and rapidly growing in confidence and wellbeing.
The year started with the sad departure of Rowan, our popular and hugely capable Projects Co-ordinator. Recruitment of a Co-Manager failed to result in a lasting appointment and we decided to put recruitment on hold for a while, whilst re-thinking the job role.
With staffing levels remaining low for many months, some of our amazing Trustees and Management Committee members, together with a wonderful, talented volunteer, stepped into the breech and generously offered their time and experience in directing and managing the Strategic Review process.
Despite the challenges, and with the help of some great volunteers, we were able to continue or resume running all of our longstanding projects, activities and services this year.
We were delighted to secure funding from the Society of Merchant Venturers for the Gardening Team and were able to recruit an experienced Team Leader to coordinate this popular weekly service. Our allotment volunteers also surpassed our wildest dreams, organising, securing and erecting a beautiful wooden shed on the allotment site as well as growing delicious vegetables, some of which were donated to the Food Co-op.
Twerton Lunch Club remained a firm favourite with older people in the local community, and was particularly appreciated after the isolation of the previous years of Covid Lockdown. We are grateful to Quartet Community Foundation for funding this much-needed project.
Our ‘Borrow It’ Library of Things was also well used by local people this year. As ever, the gardening tools and camping gear were in high demand over the
summer and the events equipment such as the gazebo, bunting and urn once again emerged from storage after having gathered dust during the Covid period.
FeelGood Walks took place on most weeks throughout the year, with a number of new volunteers training up to be Walk Leaders. These gentle but varied, hourlong walks form part of the Bathscape Heritage Lottery-funded programme which links people in this area with the landscape around Bath.
Southside Food Co-op continued to deliver boxes of fresh, locally grown vegetables to people in the south and west of Bath every fortnight, with our 2-tier pricing system enabling us to donate free produce to a few of those in greatest need.
‘Art for Everyone’ was the title of the 8-week art courses which we ran throughout the year, courtesy of the Wellbeing College and a donation from a generous supporter. These courses have proved to be extremely popular and are oversubscribed almost as soon as they are advertised. We also continued to host weekly online Creative Writing sessions, resulting in an outstanding collection of poetry, flash fiction and short stories, which were posted onto our online forum.
During the year, as part of the Strategic Review process, we held a number of workshops, Focus Groups and consultation events, gathering feedback, thoughts and suggestions from a range of stakeholders including staff and Management Committee members, past and present Time Bank participants, other local people and community agencies. This helped us to formulate new Vision, Mission and Values statements and start to put together a Five-Year Strategic Plan.
Fundraising has been quite challenging for us this year, partly owing to time pressures and low staffing levels but also due to the ever-increasing demands on funders, particularly in the face of the Cost-of-Living crisis. Securing an ongoing, dependable funding base is likely to remain one of our biggest challenges going into the future.
We would like to extend a particularly big thank you to our wonderful volunteers, who always go that extra mile even when their own circumstances may be far from easy. Our Trustees and Management Committee members have also been truly generous this year with their time and support.
Last but not least, we are so grateful to our funders, whose financial support makes all this possible. Our very special thanks once again this year go to the Roper Family, formerly of Roper Rhodes Bathrooms. The Roper family have been supporting our small charity over the past 10 years and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is thanks to their support that we have been able to keep going through all the difficult times and continue to offer a full range of communitybased projects and opportunities to people here in Twerton and the surrounding areas of Bath.
Additional Information
Contact details
Time Bank Plus Ltd www.timebankplus.co.uk 86 High Street, timebankplus@googlemail.co.uk Twerton, Bath, BA2 1DE. 01225 442813
Charity no. 1147665 Company no. 06716502
Trustees
Duncan McGibbon Company Secretary Simon Horsman Treasurer Nathan Gale
Other Management Committee members
Jo Salisbury (Chair) June Wentland Krystal Osmond Mary Fee
Structure & Management
The Management Committee, consisting of the Trustees and several other elected or co-opted members, meets approx 6 times per year (and no less than 4 times) to receive operational and financial reports, review progress and do future planning. The Management Committee are elected each year at the AGM, which is open to all Time Bank members. Up to three other people with relevant skills and experience may be co-opted onto the committee.
Aims & objectives
The overall aim of Time Bank Plus is:
To enhance community involvement and improve health and wellbeing in Bath & NE Somerset
Working particularly with more disadvantaged groups and communities, our specific aims are:
-
to stimulate volunteering within the local community
-
to enable local people to gain and develop skills and confidence
-
to facilitate local people in making healthy & sustainable lifestyle choices
-
to enhance social involvement and promote understanding between different groups within the local community
-
to stimulate the provision of volunteer services which help promote independence and improve quality of life
-
to increase the capacity of people in B&NES to engage in their local community
We do this by:
-
providing a brokered timebanking service, which enables local people to exchange services and skills on the basis of time
-
co-ordinating groups and activities which help build community involvement
-
providing learning opportunities which enable local people to develop existing skills or gain new ones
-
co-ordinating projects which help support healthy lifestyle choices and environmental sustainability
-
supporting activities which help to foster understanding between different groups in the local community
-
working in creative partnership with other agencies to develop and support community initiatives
Reserves Policy
We aim to keep reserves totalling at least 3 months’ total expenditure plus 9 months’ rental cost
CHARITY COMMISSION EfrlAND ANO WALES Time Bank Plus 1147665 riod 31103r2023 Annual accounts for the 0110412022 Section A Statement of financial activities a¢tlvlty fund• Prfory•ar lund• fimd• fund• Tat•l fi*nd• Incomlno r••oure•• (Not• 3 F01 F02 F03 F04 FOS 501 33 33 Ot $07 11 R•8ourc•• •xp•nd•d INot• 6) Exp•nthturn on: 610 Tot•1 S12 133 N•t Ineomel{•xp•ndltur•) b•for• Inv••tsn•nt g•ln•lllo•••8 613 4.397 2.671 N•t In¢om•l(•xp•ndltur•> Extrnordln•ry Il•m• Tr•n•f•v• IMtw••n fund• Oth•r r•cognlwl qaln•l(k)••M>: 815 4.397 2.871 616 617 819 N•t mov•m¢nt In fund• 435 RKon¢lll•tlon of funds.. S21 Total funds canled fornard 53,124
Section B Balance sheet Fixed a88et8 Intanglbl• aM•ts Tnglblo a••ets Hefttage a••o1• InvMtmonts F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 (Note 15) (Not• 14) (Nots 16) (Not• 17) Tot•1 flxod•M•t Curront a880ts INot• 18) D•btorn (Not• 191 InvMlJn•nts INot• 17.4 Cash at bank and In hand (Nots 24) Tot•1 ¢un•nt •u•ts 810 53,124 53.124 Credftor•: •mounts falllng du• wlthln ong ymr {Not• 20) N•t ¢Uff•nt •(11•&111j BIZ 53.124 53.124 Cr•dltor•: amounts f•lllng du• aft•r on• y••r {Not• 20) Provl•lon• for Il•bllhl 814 815 30.4n 19.981 63,124 Fund8 of the Charlty Endowment fund• INotg 27) RMtrlct•d Incom• fund• INot• 27) Unmlrlct•d fund• R•valuatlon ro•ervo B17 816 19,981 19,981 30,472 18,255 34.869 819 30.472 rot funds 821 Slgne(I by om or t4W trte•S b•haWof am Oate of approval dLVm syl•r* Print Name sIrr Horsm 11107r2023 CC17a {Excel) 22111r2023
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examinerfs
report on the accounts
Section A
Independont Examiners Report
Report to the trusteesl
membar5 of
On accounts for the year
ended
ail£ Izols
Charity no
Irf any)
I(q/64
Set out on pages
I report to the trustees ¢J) my ex•nination of the accounts of Ihe above
chanty fth8 Tntsn for Ihe year ended
Respon$lbllltles and As the chwity trustaos of Ihe Tr[ you are responsible for tho weparation of
bas18 of v•port Ihe accounts in acc£fdance with tho reqUireMts of the Charities Act 2011
(Ihe Acr)
I report in resp&t my examination ol the Tnjsfs ¥cnts carried out
urKler secli
0 Name: Relevant protessional qualification(s) or body (rf any): IER October 2018
Address." CrfÉerJ @A-f ÉKI 142 Section B Disc105ure Only complete if examiner rEeds to highlight matters of concem (see CC32. IrLdepeNlent examination of chanty 8cc<xJnts: dirKtions ar guidarte for examiners). GI here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclos•. IER October 2018