2023-09-01-accounts - One Can Trust

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ANNUAL REVIEW FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023

onecantrust.org.uk

CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts	CONTENTS Reference and Administrative Informatio Introduction Food Bank Operations Community Support Programme Food Programmes Our Volunteers Our Supporters Our Team Our Finances Relationships with Related Parties Financial Accounts
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INTRODUCTION

The last year has been particularly challenging for everyone at One Can Trust.

The number of people referred to our food bank for support reached new record levels, reflecting the impact of the cost-of-living crisis across the south of Buckinghamshire. Over the course of the year, we distributed over 16,000 food parcels. At times, we supported over 800 people each week, half of them children.

Despite these immense challenges, the last year has also been one of incredible achievement. I am proud to say that all those who were referred to our food bank received our support promptly, efficiently and sensitively.

We have also delivered further on our long-term goal to help people overcome the circumstances behind their food poverty. Our Community Support Team reached out to every family we supported to see what further help either we or others could provide. Through our Food Programmes, we continued to provide cookery classes and run community café events. Our innovative collaboration with Hills Café is helping to provide much-needed support to an area of High Wycombe that is experiencing particularly high levels of poverty.

In the following pages, our team describe these programmes and achievements in more detail. I consider it a tremendous privilege to work with such a dedicated, talented and enthusiastic team of staff and trustees. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the many members of the public, the companies, supermarkets, community groups, schools, faith organisations and others who have supported us over the last year and helped to reduce the impact of poverty in our local communities.

Buckinghamshire HP13 6EE

Charity No. – 1148626 (Established in 2011) Company No. – 8137465 (Registered in England and Wales) Bankers – CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ Independent Examiner – Saffery LLP St John’s Court, Easton Street, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Above all, I want to thank our volunteers, without whom none of what is described in this report could have been achieved. In October, we were delighted to be given the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of the contribution made by our volunteers. It was a fitting tribute to a very challenging year in which we achieved so much.

Chairperson

Date: 19 February 2024

One Can Trust Annual Review for the year ended 31 August 2023

FOOD BANK OPERATIONS

One Can Trust provides free, emergency, weekly food parcels to anyone in South Bucks who is struggling to put food on the table.

We work with partnering organisations (such as Bucks Council, Housing Associations, Department for Work and Pensions) who are able to refer clients to us for support. We also provide one emergency food parcel per household to anyone who doesn’t yet have a referral in place. Clients may receive up to four weeks’ worth of food in one referral and may be referred to us as many times as necessary. We work closely with our referring partners to ensure clients are receiving sufficient support to encourage independence.

The number of people we support throughout the year fluctuates, with spikes typically occurring in March and December.

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2000
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(Last 12 Months -
500 number of parcels)
0
Sept 22 Oct 22 Nov 22 Dec 22 Jan 23 Feb 23 Mar 23 Apr 23 May 23 Jun 23 Jul 23 Aug 23
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One Can Trust will continue to tirelessly support the local community with emergency food parcels and other elements of our provision for as long as we need to.

With the help of a food nutritionist, parcel contents have been carefully designed so they contain enough food to provide three meals a day for a week. We cater for different sizes of family and all dietary requirements, for example: vegetarian, halal, food intolerances and low sugar content. If requested, we provide fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, bread, toiletries, baby food and pet food in our free, weekly parcels.

Hitting hard times recently we were referred to the food bank and can’t thank them enough for the service they have provided us. The staff are super friendly and super helpful and the food given was life-saving and of such variety for our family. We would like to say a huge thank you to One Can for the help and everything that they have given to us. We will be forever grateful.

We survived because of people like you.

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A CLIENT
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The estimated value of monthly food parcels varies between £60 000 - £90 000 as the numbers of clients varies also. The majority of food is donated by our incredibly kind local community. To encourage donations, One Can Trust has embarked on an ambitious ‘food drive programme’ whereby every weekend, volunteers encourage supermarket donations in local stores. Such efforts typically yield, on average, 45-60 crates of food per day and regularly generate 30% of all food donations. Such donations are a critically important source of food in an attempt to curb our otherwise costly spend on food purchases. The addition of local businesses, seeking extra customer donations during the working week, have been a huge help. One such business, RSA, told us:

‘THANK YOU for letting us be part of something bigger and more important that our usual day to day. We have embraced the opportunity to support a cause and have been humbled and inspired in equal measure. The enthusiasm from the team after last week was so infectious and today’s activities matched expectations. What a fabulous resource you are to so many; it was wonderful to be involved even just for a few hours’.

We are hugely grateful to everyone involved in supermarket food drives, particularly the local stores who kindly allow us to have a presence in their busy entrance foyers.

We have also gratefully received surplus food from local supermarkets and bakeries in addition to allotment donations from both independent growers and those as part of the ‘Grow to Give’ initiative. Providing extra fruit and veg, often accompanied by a recipe plus necessary ingredients to make a simple and healthy dish, has been a muchwelcomed addition to our food parcels.

80% of all parcels are delivered by volunteer drivers to clients’ doors, a model that was developed during lock down and remains successful to this day. The other 20% of parcels are either delivered to our collaborative hubs at St James’s Church in Downley, St Thomas’s Church in Holtspur and St Mary’s Church in Princes Risborough or are collected by clients from our warehouse. Clients who live within a 10-minute walk of our warehouse in Duke Street now collect, an initiative from pre-COVID times that we have successfully returned to.

Jo Belshaw

80%

OF ALL PARCELS ARE DELIVERED BY VOLUNTEER DRIVERS TO CLIENTS’ DOORS

Operations Manager

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

The Community Support Programme involves a team of One Can Trust volunteers contacting every household that is referred to us to see if they need further support from us or other organisations. This programme has grown considerably in 2023, introducing three new projects.

January saw the opening of our first weekly toddler group. This is a closed group, attended by food bank clients and other families in the area who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Trinity United Reformed Church have been extremely supportive and allowed us space to provide a range of activities and toys. We have created a safe and nurturing space where families can be themselves knowing that others are in similar situations. Our wonderful team of highly experienced volunteers also help to create an environment where parents can talk and gain advice in a non-judgemental way.

‘Just wanted to say thank you to all the amazing people at toddlers. It has been lovely building new relationships, watching all the little ones hit their milestones and eating yummy cake! It really does feel like a little family who support each other.’

Our volunteer team has continued to make calls to all new food bank clients and sign post them to different areas for further support. During the year, we also were registered with the Clare Foundation to apply for grants on behalf of food bank users from their ‘Family Angels’ fund. This has been a great success. To date we have helped 22 clients with a total of £11,125 of funding.

We have also been supporting our Food Programmes team in their ‘Together We Can’ community café events every fortnight. This is a great opportunity to speak with customers to see how we can help. Many have sourced fuel vouchers, grants and advice from us and we are also able to signpost to other organisations. We have also been supporting another toddler group called ‘Next Steps’ that had been running for almost two years in the centre of High Wycombe with the local organisation, Mama Bee. This group provides an open door to all, providing a space for parents to come together while children play.

We have also helped to develop a children’s clothes bank. This runs monthly from the Wesley Church in High Wycombe and was started originally by two mums from Beaconsfield. They were happy to come on board with One Can and are both still heavily involved in the running of the bank, along with an amazing team of volunteers. This provision has allowed us to work with many different organisations around High Wycombe who are able to refer their clients to us.

‘The clothes bank is a lifesaver! I can make sure my child can wear clothes that fit and are appropriate for the season. This is a massive relief in these hard times. Wonderful idea, very much appreciated. Thank you everyone for all your hard work.’

We will continue to expand our offering where we see a need amongst people who are financially struggling and a gap in existing provision. Therefore our plans for the next year include an adult’s clothes bank and a community support teatime club from Hill’s café every fortnight.

Kim Starkey

Community Support Programme Manager

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

Over the last year, the Food Programmes team has continued to provide essential community, skill and food provision-based programmes to those in our community who are experiencing financial hardship.

We have been running our twice a month Community Café, Together We Can, for families in High Wycombe experiencing financial hardship. This programme not only provides a safe and warm place with the offer of hot, healthy meals and drinks but also gives those attending the opportunity to talk with friendly members of the One Can team who can offer advice and support. On average, we welcome at least 15 people to each session. We also provide children’s activities so the parents can ask questions of the One Can team or just simply have some quiet time.

‘Me and my family are regulars at The Cafe - my children are always so hungry after school so it’s nice to know they get fed well and dinner is taken care of.’

Over the last year, we have provided three 6-week cookery courses to clients who have been using our food bank service. We have had 59 local people take part in our programme to improve their skills and confidence in the kitchen. We ensure that all of the recipes taught are simple, recognisable, easy to follow, nutritious and most importantly, budget friendly.

‘I used to love cooking but for many reasons, that was a thing of the past. By attending the course, I regained my confidence in cooking and have learnt so many (new) recipes and tricks that I will now use daily, knowing that my family will have full tummies. A fridge full of homemade food and healthy freezer meals is life changing.’

We recognise that school holidays can cause parents and carers a lot of financial stress. Our Supper Clubs, which run during school holidays, therefore welcome families to prepare and cook a three-course meal together from scratch. We also provide information and tips on cooking at home, growing at home and basic nutritional guidance. Once the meal is prepared, we encourage all the attending families to eat together and enjoy the meal they prepared whilst creating community relationships between parents and children. This year we have welcomed 12 families to this programme.

Families who benefit from access to free school meals also tend to struggle during school holidays. During the February and May half terms, we offered free meals to struggling families in the Micklefield and Castlefield areas of High Wycombe. We successfully prepared, served or delivered 634 meals.

‘This service really helps me save some money and also saves my time so I have more time to spend with my kids during the half term break.’

We know from local research that we have undertaken, that many children in South Bucks go through the school day unfed or underfed. This is because, although their families are struggling financially, they do not qualify for free school meals. We have therefore been preparing a programme that we plan to run during 2024 that will plug the gap in this provision and ensure that local children are not going hungry during the school day. Our hope is that we can build an evidence base regarding the achieved positive impact with a view to contributing to policy change around how school meals are provided and paid for.

Cara Nightingale Food Programmes Manager

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

We could not function and deliver the service that we do without the incredible support of our amazing volunteer team – our volunteers really are the lifeline of our charity. People join us for many reasons – for example to fill a hole in their life following a bereavement or simply to ‘give something back’ to the community. In a recent survey, 77% told us they support because they wanted to help others less well off than themselves.

Our volunteers perform a vast array of roles, ranging from packing and sorting food parcels to helping at toddler groups and café sessions. In the community, we work closely with our wonderful Street Heroes - members of the public who, through and since the COVID lock down months, have collected food donations from friends and neighbours and transferred their donations to our warehouse in Duke Street.

Volunteers typically work a one or two hour shift and many volunteers commit to supporting us on a weekly basis.

Where possible, we provide volunteering opportunities for students as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award or school work experience programme. In addition, with appropriate supervision, we have been able to offer opportunities to children with special educational needs and adults with learning difficulties.

This year, we were greatly honoured to be awarded the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and the equivalent of an MBE. The award is in recognition of our incredibly loyal volunteer team, the scale of their efforts being quite remarkable and humbling.

Nobody should have to go hungry in the country. I know that money can help with running a charity but giving time can be more valuable.

OUR VOLUNTEERS

A VOLUNTEER

I wanted to do something directly to help people in need and I feel One Can makes a real difference.

A VOLUNTEER

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

OUR SUPPORTERS

We are extremely fortunate to receive significant support from local businesses and organisations. Support can range from monetary donations to volunteering, donations and advice. One such organisation, the wonderful Mint Velvet whose Head Office is close to our warehouse in Duke Street, has been most generous with financial support, but also with their provision of our striking, branded and fabulous yellow T-Shirts, in addition to supporting us with volunteering activities.

The local business, Kenvue, invited two members of the One Can Trust team to attend a knowledge sharing and information day at their Head Office in High Wycombe. During the day, professionals from across the organisation were able to advise on our social media strategy and offer us marketing hints and tips.

The Perfume Shop regularly volunteer in the warehouse, sorting food donations and recently at an event in the High Wycombe town centre, encouraged public food donations in exchange for perfume – how lovely!

Other local businesses encourage donations from the public – Jollyes help in this way and support us with pet food donations. Chiltern Rangers asks all corporate teams attending their corporate event days to bring a can with them. It’s a wonderful collaboration that we are hugely grateful for.

In the summer, we were very fortunate to be selected by the Chiltern Shakespeare Company (CSC) to help with parking at their summer event. In return for providing pairs of helping hands, we were able to collect donations and enjoy the stunning grounds of Hall Barn on warm summer evenings. Boosted by a generous donation from the CSC, the event raised over £4,000.

Mint Velvet are so proud to be able to support One Can Trust and the life changing work you do in providing food and support for struggling families. The fact that people are going hungry, in such large numbers, within the community in which our Head Office is based, is desperately sad - thank you to the whole One Can Trust team for making such a positive and important difference to the lives of local families. The whole Mint Velvet team supports and thanks you.

It has been absolutely lovely getting to know you and the wonderful work you are doing to make this world a better place’.

LAUREN, MEDIA TRUST

Special thanks must also be mentioned regarding the Oakland Park Golf Club Ladies Section for choosing One Can Trust as their charity for the year. The club worked very hard throughout the year and raised nearly £8,000 for One Can Trust – an incredible achievement.

Many more groups within the community, too many to mention individually, provide invaluable support collecting food and raising our profile. Groups range from local Scout groups, to WI groups, faith groups and local schools (particularly as part of their brilliant Harvest festivals and assemblies), the Hellfire Motor Vehicle Club, Rotary Clubs and the wonderful Wycombe Wanderers Football Club. We are hugely grateful to Trevor Stroud of Wycombe Wanderers who delivers parcels for us twice a week to some of the furthest corners of the county, an activity that he started during the lock down months and still willingly and diligently performs to this day.

MANY MORE GROUPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, TOO MANY TO MENTION INDIVIDUALLY, PROVIDE INVALUABLE SUPPORT COLLECTING FOOD AND RAISING OUR PROFILE.

SUE RABY, TALENT AND CULTURE DIRECTOR, MINT VELVET

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

The Operations team has changed and grown to meet the consistently high demand on our services. In April 2023, Helen Foster joined as our Food Supply Manager and has been instrumental in driving forward our crucially important supermarket food drive programme.

Neil Scott, our Warehouse, Health and Safety Manager, joined the charity in October 2022 and has built upon the achievements of his predecessors to take operations and standards to a new level. Neil has also worked hard with local businesses who have volunteered with us in the warehouse.

In June 2023, we welcomed Viki Hockley as Volunteer Coordinator to the team. Viki has been a wonderful addition, embracing the daily challenge of coordinating our many volunteer teams.

Also in June, Ros Taylor, one of our wonderful volunteers, joined the team as Food Bank Administrator. Ros has been pivotal in ensuring the successful roll out of the collection programme for local clients.

Whilst we have welcomed many new strengths to the team, we are very fortunate to also have Jayne Motlagh, our Referrals and Statistics Manager, in the team. Jayne has been with the organisation for five years and has incredible knowledge and valuable experience. More crucially, Jayne is responsible for ensuring all referred clients are entered onto our database in order to receive their food parcels.

Michaela Titman and Abigail Steel have joined the team since the end of the year but we wanted to mention and include them in this report. Michaela and Abigail provide excellent and important admin support to the Operations team. The Manager of the Operations team, Jo Belshaw, has day-to-day responsibility for the smooth running of the food bank, the core operation of the organisation. Jo joined One Can in June 2020.

The Community Support team is headed up by Kim Starkey who joined the organisation in April 2021. Since moving into her role as Community Support Manager, Kim has been a tremendous asset, identifying experienced volunteers to closely work with her to make client calls and provide appropriate support and signposting for further help. Kim also set up the toddler groups and clothes bank that you will have read about earlier in this report.

OUR VISION IS TO BE HERE IN SOUTH BUCKS TO HELP ANYONE IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES WHO IS DESPERATE WITH HUNGER, FOR AS LONG AS THERE IS A NEED.

Carrie Chivers joined the charity in June 2023 as Community Support Worker and has been a huge help supporting Kim as the Community Support team has grown.

The Food Programmes team is headed up by Cara Nightingale who joined the organisation in May 2020. Since moving into her new role as Food Programmes Manager, Cara has been able to share her passion for nutritious and healthy eating with One Can and facilitate the programme’s development with its ambitious and important goals for the year ahead.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Our Charitable Object is the relief of financial hardship among people living or working in the south of Buckinghamshire and surrounding areas by providing food parcels or services which they could not otherwise afford through lack of means.

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

Our Mission is to bring together everyone who can contribute to the running of our food bank and other relevant services, and provide the organisation and fundraising that is necessary to provide food parcels and support to anyone in crisis.

HOW WE BENEFIT THE PUBLIC

Our trustees have taken into account their duty under section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 and their obligations with regard to Charity Commission guidance on public benefit when planning our activities. The direct public benefit that comes from our activities is the relief of hunger within households living in poverty. We also provide additional relief through our Food Programmes and support households in overcoming the causes of their poverty through our Community Support Programme and Food Programmes.

OUR VALUES

We operate with openness and integrity – in all our actions we will operate openly and transparently, sharing the reasons behind any decisions we make and how these will progress the delivery of the vision. We value everybody in our community equally, and strive to maximise the positive impact we can have without regard to any individual’s background.

We are inspired by our volunteers – in this we can ensure that all who work with us are united in delivering our vision for the greater good of our community.

We are led by and support our community – our initiatives are driven bottom up, deriving their strength from the community they serve, with our actions guided and focussed by the wishes of the community.

We strive for excellence – we aspire to deliver all we do to the highest possible standard and in this, inspire those living in poverty to strive to achieve their full potential.

We recognise the value of the individual and the power of community – in humbling ourselves to a common purpose we can each contribute to something far beyond the reach of any one of us, strengthened by our collective values and supporting one another as we need it.

THE BOARD

One Can Trust Ltd (OCT) is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered with the Charity Commissioners. OCT is controlled by its governing document, the Articles of Association. The charity is controlled by its governing document, the Trust Deed. The governing document of the company allows a minimum of 3 directors and a maximum of 15 directors. All directors of the company are also trustees of the charity.

New trustees are appointed by the existing trustees after a formal recruitment process including eligibility checks and interviews with the board followed by a vote and can serve for a maximum of 9 years. The charity regularly conducts a review of the skills and experience of trustees to ensure they are commensurate with the risks and areas of operation of the charity. Our recruitment decisions are informed by that skills and experience review. New trustees are inducted into the business through a programme of engagement with serving trustees, our three managers and relevant external stakeholders. Many of our trustees also serve as volunteers.

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

Trustees are required to declare any competing or conflicting of interests at the commencement of each Board meeting and they are permanently recorded. When a conflict arises, trustees absent themselves from any discussion and decision making. Trustees give of their time freely and no remuneration is made.

ROLE OF THE BOARD

At their bimonthly meetings, the trustees agree the broad areas of strategy and activity. They scrutinise performance against targets, our financial position, donor relations, HR matters, health and safety, risk, policies, procedures and other governance matters.

The day-to-day running of these matters is delegated to our three salaried managers, each of whom has specific responsibility for an area of operation. Jo Belshaw is the manager for our Food Bank Operations. Cara Nightingale is our Food Programmes Manager and Kim Starkey runs our Community Support Programme. Each of these reports monthly to the relevant Committee of trustees as set out below. In addition, they provide detailed reports to the bi-monthly meetings of our Board. Each Manager has a range of clearly defined delegated responsibilities, including for some areas of expenditure, but all significant and strategic decisions remain the preserve of the Board.

In addition, we have three Committees consisting of a number of trustees who meet monthly to review aspects of our operation in more detail. These Committees do not have delegated responsibility for decision-making on significant matters which rests exclusively with the Board as a whole. The Risk and Resources Committee reviews overarching risks facing our organisation and monitors measures to mitigate those risks. It also reviews financial performance, and HR and IT matters before they are considered by the Board. The Food Bank Operations Committee reviews all operational aspects associated with our food bank service. The Community Support and Food Programmes Committee reviews performance across the two programmes and considers business cases for developing services, prior to formal approval at the Board. Each trustee is required to be a member of at least one Committee but no more than two.

STAFF REMUNERATION

The Board alone makes decisions concerning the remuneration of our staff. One of the trustees has designated responsibility for keeping remuneration arrangements under review and making recommendations to the Board. Those recommendations take account of a number of factors including market conditions, inflation and the remuneration of other similar local charities.

MEMBERSHIP OF NATIONAL BODIES

The charity is a member of the Independent Food Aid Network that represents around 900 independent food banks and collates anonymised data for all to use. We are also supporters of Feeding Britain which is a campaigning charity that tackles food poverty.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a Data Controller.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The trustees have a robust risk policy in place. The Food Bank Operations Committee and the Community Support and Food Programmes Committee each identify and monitor operational risks relating to their respective parts of our business. The Risk and Resources Committee identifies and monitors operational risks relating to finance, HR and IT as well as overarching organisational risks. Each Committee reports in turn to the Board.

For the reporting year, the risks identified primarily focused on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the sharp rise in the number of people being referred to the food bank for support. We also identified and monitored risks associated with the introduction of new services as part of our Community Support Programme and Food Programmes.

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

This year has presented several challenges to our financial performance. The most notable of these has been the impact of the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ where overall financial donations in the second half of the year were below levels seen in the first 6 months. This was compounded by increases in our referral numbers which were running well in excess of 700 clients to create a “perfect storm” for the Food Bank. Food purchases had to increase to almost £20k per month for a period of time putting added strain on our resources.

Overall grants and donations of £624k were £185k up on last year with grant and trust income nearly £80K higher. Grants were received from Heart of Bucks, Rothschilds and GMSN with Mint Velvet and Burberry the largest company donations. Local Giving and individual donations were £30k higher with generous donations also coming from local church and community groups.

Against this, our outgoings were also up sharply from last year at £593k, an increase of £212k. As mentioned, food costs rose considerably by nearly £70k and as our organization expanded to include the amalgamation of Hills Café and the development of the Food and Community Support programmes, so our employment costs rose by £84k as we recruited extra resource to help manage these additional activities. Our building and premises costs also increased by over £20k as we engaged in refurbishing the flat above the Hills Café to provide additional office and storage space.

Our surplus for the year ended at £31k and bodes well for the year ahead with bank balances closing at £617k. We continue to rely on very generous donations from individuals, companies and public bodies as we seek to deliver our portfolio of measures aimed at addressing poverty concerns. These income streams will be essential in meeting the costs of delivering our programmes going forward.

We have three designated reserves that are intended to ensure there are sufficient funds available to meet particular risks and future challenges. We have set aside £80,000 in the eventuality of having to meet costs in closing our charity. We have also set aside £30,000 in anticipation of the costs associated with potentially moving to new premises.

OUR FINANCES

FINALLY, WE HAVE SET ASIDE £50,000 TO HELP MEET THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPING NEW SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH OUR FOOD PROGRAMMES AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAMME.

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

RELATIONSHIPS WITH RELATED PARTIES

One Can Trust Ltd is the sole member of Open House Micklefield CIC, the organisation that operates Hills Café and as such Open House Micklefield CIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of One Can Trust Ltd.

Open House Micklefield CIC has its own Board of Directors and seeks to operate independently, or at least at arm’s length from One Can Trust Ltd, and there are intra company group services and loan agreements in place between the two companies to govern the commercial relationship between them.

One Can Trust Ltd has no other subsidiaries or relationships with other charities or organisations beyond conventional trading relationships with suppliers of good and services.

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of One Can Trust Limited (“the Company”) for the year ended 31 August 2023.

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

TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Foundation at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for the period then ended. In so doing, the Trustees are required to:

[ Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,]
•[ Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102);]
[ Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;]
[ State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to ] any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
[ Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate ] to presume that the foundation will continue in the foreseeable future.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that 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. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website.

The company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. I have completed my examination.

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

1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; or

2. the accounts do not accord with such records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with relevant accounting requirements under section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102).

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.

SMALL COMPANY EXEMPTION

The Trustees’ Report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies’ regime under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Andrew Watkinson FCCA, Saffery LLP, Chartered Accountants, St John’s Court, Easton Street, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP11 1JX. Date: 20 February 2024

By order of the Trustees

Gareth Pugh, Treasurer, Date: 19 February 2024

Trustee’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

Independent Examiner’s Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
		funds	income	funds	funds
		£	funds	2023	2022
			£	£	£
Incoming resources
Donations and legacies	2	438,728	179,366	618,094	437,035
Charitable activities	3	1,700	_	1,700	1,169
Investments	4	4,229	_	4,229	1,163
Total		444,657	179,366	624,023	439,367
Resources expended
Raising funds	5	165,104	20,325	185,429	122,818
Charitable activities	6	276,921	130,357	407,278	256,467
Total		442,025	150,682	592,707	379,285
Net
income/(expenditure)		2,632	28,684	31,316	60,082
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought		561,673	_	561,673	501,591
forward
Total funds carried		564,305	28,684	592,989	561,673
forward

Recommended	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
categories by		funds	income	funds	funds
activity		£	funds	2023	2022
			£	£	£
Current assets
Cash at bank and in hand	10	589,083	28,684	617,767	583,876
Total current assets		589,083	28,684	617,767	583,876
Creditors: amounts falling	11	24,778	_	24,778	22,203
due within one year
Net current assets /		564,305	28,684	592,989	561,673
(liabilities)
Total net assets		564,305	28,684	592,989	561,673
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted funds	12	564,305	_	564,305	561,673
Restricted income funds	12	_	28,684	28,684	–
Endowment funds	12	_	_	_	–
Total funds		564,305	28,684	592,989	561,673

The accounting policies and notes on pages 19 – 26 form part of these financial statements.

For the financial year ended 31 August 2023 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 Companies Act 2006. No member of the company has deposited a notice, pursuant to section 476, requiring an audit of these financial statements under the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustee Directors acknowledge their responsibilities for ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 and 387 of the Act and for preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of the financial year and of its profit and loss for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts, so far as applicable to the company.

The financial statements were approved by the Board on 19 February 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Gareth Pugh, Treasurer, Registered Charity Number: 1148626, Registered Company Number: 08137465

Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2023

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2023 Cash fows from operating activities: Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at 31 August 2022 Cash and cash equivalents at 31 August 2023 Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to cash fows from operating activities Net income/(expenditure) for the reporting period (as per the statement of fnancial activities) Adjustments for: Increase/(Decrease) in creditors Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	2023 Total funds £ 33,891 81,652 2022 Total funds £
	33,891 583,876 81,652 502,224
	2023 Total funds £ 31,316 2,575 617,767 60,082 21,570 583,876 2022 Total funds £
	33,891 81,652

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.1 Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies adopted by the Charity, which is a public benefit entity, in the preparation of the accounts are as follows.

1.2 Basis of preparation

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the inclusion of charitable properties and fixed asset investments and investment properties at valuation.

These accounts 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)” (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

These accounts are presented in pounds sterling and rounded to the nearest pound.

1.3 Going concern

The Trustees have prepared financial projections, taking into consideration the current economic conditions and have, at the time of approving these accounts, a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.

1.4 Income from donations or grants

The net debt is made up entirely by the cash balance outline above, and all movements in the year were cash flow changes.

Income from donations and grants is recognised when the charity is entitled to the funds, the receipt is probable and the amount can be measured reliably. For donations, this is usually on receipt. For grants, this is usually when a formal offer is made in writing. If a donation or grant contains terms and conditions outside of the charity’s control which must be met before the charity is entitled to the funds, or if the donor specifies that the funds must be used in future time periods, then the income is deferred.

1.5 Income from charitable activities

Income from charitable activities is recognised over the period to which the income relates. Any amounts relating to future periods are deferred.

1.6 Investment income

Interest received is recognised when it is received in the relevant bank account.

Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

1.7 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised when a present legal or constructive obligation exists at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and the amount can be estimated reliably. It is inclusive of VAT which cannot be recovered.

Direct costs are those costs which directly attribute to its activities. Wages and salaries are allocated to direct costs based on an estimate of time spent on charitable activities by staff members.

Support costs include staff costs and are those which do not produce a direct output. Staff costs relate to specific activities and this is reflected in the allocation of payroll costs based on the percentage of time spent.

All costs, including governance costs, are allocated between the expenditure categories of the charity on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are charged directly; others are apportioned on an appropriate basis.

Support costs and overheads have been calculated by allocating staff time to the level of involvement in the various activities of the Charity.

1.8 Pensions

The Charity makes contributions to defined contribution pension schemes through auto enrolment. These contributions are charged to the income and expenditure account in the year in which they become payable.

1.9 Taxation

The organisation is a registered charity and has no liability to income tax or corporation tax on its charitable activities during the year.

1.10 Creditors

The charity has creditors which are measured at settlement amounts less any trade discounts.

associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised, if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

There are no estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities.

2 INCOME FROM DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	income	funds	funds	income	funds
	£	funds	2023	2022	funds	2022
		£	£	£	2022	£
					£
Church donations	14,733	_	14,733	6,178	–	6,178
Community Groups	58,213	_	58,213	44,574	–	44,574
Company Donations	46,995	28,134	75,129	26,832	–	26,832
General grants provided
by Government/other
charities	56,178	151,232	207,410	117,500	13,000	130,500
Individual donations	95,755		95,755	73,975	–	73,975
		_
Local Giving/Stewardship	164,161		164,161	154,160	–	154,160
		_
School donations	2,692	_	2,692	816	–	816
Total	438,728	179,366	618,094	424,035	13,000	437,035

1.11 Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are those funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives 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 or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes.

1.12 Critical accounting estimates and judgements

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and

3 INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Fundraising Total	1,700 _ 1,700 1,169 Unrestricted funds £ Restricted income funds £ Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £
	1,700 _ 1,700 1,169

Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

4 INCOME FROM INVESTMENTS

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
	funds	income	funds	funds
	£	funds	2023	2022
		£	£	£
Interest income	4,229	_	4,229	1,163
Total	4,229	_	4,229	1,163
EXPENDITURE ON RAISING FUNDS
		Total		Total
		funds		funds
		2023		2022
		£		£
Support Costs (Note 7)		185,428		122,818
Total		185,428		122,818

5 EXPENDITURE ON RAISING FUNDS

In the prior year all costs of raising funds were categorised as unrestricted expenditure.

6 EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Food purchases and bags Cookery project Legal/professional fees Support Costs (Note 7) Total	195,086 22,666 4,098 185,428 125,351 8,298 _ 122,818 Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £
	407,278 256,467

7 SUPPORT COSTS

Buildings and premises Furniture and equipment Other support costs Vehicle running costs Travel and delivery Rent Service charge Electricity Insurance Telephone Cleaning and safety Publicity and communications Training Bank charges Miscellaneous Other ofce costs Computer costs Wages and salaries Printing and stationery Total Allocated: Raising funds (Note 5) Charitable activities (Note 6)	Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £ 29,298 4,458 197 5,091 8,025 - 4,164 4,205 8,414 3,720 6,000 6,000 9,172 7,579 5,295 2,952 2,626 1,356 2,273 2,056 10,201 7,534 4,213 4,404 708 24 295 207 139 200 - 5,724 4,794 - 269,350 186,598 5,691 3,528 370,856 245,636 185,428 122,818 185,428 122,818
	370,856 245,636

Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

8 DETAILS OF CERTAIN ITEMS OF EXPENDITURE

	2023	2022
	£	£
Independent examiner’s fees	3,000	_

9 EMPLOYEE’S EMOLUMENTS

9.1 Staff Costs

	2023	2022
	£	£
Salaries and wages	243,214	168,581
Social security costs	18,437	14,146
Pension costs (defned contribution scheme)	7,699	3,871
Other employee benefts	_	_
Total staf costs	269,350	186,598

11 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Trade creditors Income tax payable Accruals and deferred income Other creditors Total	12,499 6,145 3,522 2,612 20,831 1,372 Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £
	24,778 22,203

12 CHARITY FUNDS

12.1 Details of material funds held and movements during the CURRENT reporting period

In this year and the previous year, no employees received employee benfits of more than £60,000.

9.2 Average head count in the year

In 2023 the average number of employees was 9 (2022: 6)

10 CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND

CAF Cash CAF Gold account Shawbrook Bank Petty Cash Total	27,472 338,080 251,978 236 87,671 245,216 250,839 150 Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £
	617,767 583,876

Fund names	Fund balances	Income	Expenditure	Transfers	Gains and	Fund
	brought forward				losses	balances
						Carried
						forward
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Unrestricted funds	561,673	444,657	(442,025)	_	_	564,305
Restricted income	funds _	179,366	(150,682)	_	_	28,684
Total	561,673	624,023	(592,707)	_	_	592,989

Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

12.2 Details of material funds held and movements during the PREVIOUS REPORTING PERIOD

Fund names	Fund balances	Fund balances	Income	Expenditure	Transfers	Gains and	Fund
	brought forward					losses	balances
							Carried
							forward
		£	£	£	£	£	£
Unrestricted funds		487,992	426,367	(352,686)	_	_	561,673
Restricted income	funds	13,599	13,000	(26,599)	_	_	_
Total		501,591	439,367	(379,285)	_	_	561,673

13 TRANSACTIONS WITH TRUSTEES AND RELATED PARTIES

13.1 Trustee remuneration and benefits

None of the trustees received any remuneration in either the current or previous period.

COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING!

13.2 Trustees’ expenses

None of the trustees had any expenses reimbursed in either the current or previous period.

13.3 Transaction(s) with related parties

There were no transactions with related parties in either the current or previous period.

14 ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES

On 18 August 2023, Open House Micklefield CIC, a company registered in England and Wales, became a wholly owned subsidiary of One Can Trust Limited.

15 CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

After the year end, the Charity was informed by a supplier that it had not been charged incremental rent and service charges for three years. This was due to an oversight on the part of the supplier which the Charity is contesting. The potential liability to the Charity is £20,000.

Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2023

To find out more please visit onecantrust.org.uk, email or call 01494 512 277 . office@onecantrust.org.uk