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2025-03-31-accounts

COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 07623914 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1150422

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely Company Limited by Guarantee Financial Statements

31 March 2025

GORDON DOWN & PARTNERS

Chartered accountants & statutory auditor Temple Court Cathedral Road Cardiff CF11 9HA and 144 Walter Road Swansea SA1 5RW

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Financial Statements

Year ended 31 March 2025

Page
Trustees' annual report (incorporating the director's report) 1
Independent auditor's report to the members 14
Statement of financial activities (including income and
expenditure account) 19
Statement of financial position 20
Statement of cash flows 21
Notes to the financial statements 22
The following pages do not form part of the financial statements
Detailed statement of financial activities 46
Notes to the detailed statement of financial activities 49

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report)

Year ended 31 March 2025

The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Chair's report

The continuing cost of living pressures have impacted on funding ACE projects, with funders adjusting their criteria for eligibility. Some funders are unwilling to include a realistic core costs component when awarding funds, which has curtailed the scope of some projects. This has led to staff applying to some organisations for specific core cost funding.

Sadly ACE has had to finish ACE Arts activities at the end of this financial year after being unsuccessful in attaining any funding. The arts is always the first category to be cut when budgets are tightened, without recognising the resulting impact on people's health and wellbeing.

Once again ACE CAER and Cardiff University organised another successful summer dig in Trelai Park. National and local media reported on the finds, some of which were of international interest. Our links with the university have led to many opportunities for local people. The CAER heritage and learning centre has flourished with a number of courses run by other organisations hosted there. Some are being held in the evenings and at weekends to allow those in work to further their existing careers of of consider career changes.

With the ongoing pressures in living costs, and the growing importance of sustainability, the membership of the Benthyg Library of Things has increased further. The range of items available has also expanded. Another project which is promoting sustainability is the Repair Café, where residents can bring broken items to be repaired by a dedicated team of "fixers" rather than be consigned to the scrapheap. If a fix isn't possible, items can be sent for recycling where possible.

Our outdoor spaces have thrived due to a dedicated team of staff and volunteers. Ely and Caerau has benefited from the work of the Postcode Gardener Community Greening project with input from Keep Wales Tidy, Upfront Gardens, and Grow Cardiff to create a lot of small green spaces that were previously neglected. Gardening is recognised as an important activity in improving mental health.

ACE continues to evolve to balance the needs of the community while endeavouring success to access much needed funding. The changes to employer National Insurance rules and the increase in the minimum wage from April 2025 will increase the financial pressures further.

Marian Dixey ACE chair

1

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Objectives and activities

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely is a community organisation located in West Cardiff. We had up to 35 staff during 2024-25, 50+ volunteers and several thousand participants and beneficiaries, many of whom are active contributors to local community development and regeneration efforts. Many of our staff live in Ely and Caerau, and many projects are run with or by our volunteers. We manage two community buildings and a community garden and deliver a range of community-based activities that help people.

Our vision is to create vibrant, equal and resilient communities for all, where people find fulfillment in themselves, each other, and the place where they live.

Charitable objectives

  1. the relief of poverty in such ways as may be thought fit;

  2. the relief of unemployment in such ways as may be thought fit, including assistance to find employment;

  3. the advancement of education, training or retraining, particularly among unemployed people, and providing unemployed people with work experience;

  4. the provision of financial assistance, technical assistance, or business advice or consultancy in order to provide training and employment opportunities for unemployed people in cases of financial or other charitable need through help:

  5. in setting up their own business,

  6. the creation of training and employment opportunities by the provision of workspace, buildings and/or land for use on favourable terms;

  7. the maintenance, improvement or provision of public amenities;

  8. the provision or assistance in the provision of recreational facilities for the public at large and/ or those who, by reasons of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, poverty or social and economic circumstances, have need of such facilities;

  9. the provision of public health facilities and childcare;

  10. such other means may from time to time be determined subject to the prior consent of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.

Public benefit statement

The trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit when setting ACE's aims and planning activities. ACE's purposes are advanced through programmes addressing poverty, education, health, and wellbeing in Ely, Caerau and wider Cardiff West. Public benefit is demonstrated through increased household incomes, improved wellbeing and skills, progression into work, access to affordable food, and participation in volunteering and community-led activities.

ACE will work with communities to achieve lasting positive change for an equal and just Cardiff by:

2

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

ACE will nurture and develop local assets and opportunities to meet needs through the following types of projects, activities and services:

New Projects 2024-25

During 2024-25 we have developed a number of new projects and initiatives to respond to community needs. These include:

3

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

The strategies employed for continuity are:

4

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

The strategies employed for growth:

5

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Criteria to measure success

It is crucial that we gather information that tells us whether or not our Theory of Change, Strategic Plan and day-to-day activities are effective in meeting our aims and objectives and fulfilling our vision. ACE has continued to deliver our core work, building on it across the course of the year. This growth can be seen in the number of people engaged over the year.

Our Strategic and Operational Plans lay out a range of specific criteria to measure success. ACE uses a number of approaches to provide evidence against these criteria, including surveys, focus groups, 1-1 conversations, video interviews etc. One of the most powerful tools we use is the Most Significant Change (MSC) approach which uses personal stories of change to create learning conversations through panels of participants and staff. Examples of these are routinely documented in our annual reports. .

The collaborative learning from these approaches will be used to review and update the core work of ACE as outlined in the 7 Objectives within our current Strategic plan. In 2025-26 we will carry out an in depth review of our Operational Plan, and will make changes to our practice where necessary and will inform the new Strategic Plan for 2027-2030.

Strategic report

The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review form the strategic report of the charity.

6

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Achievements and performance

2024-25 has been a busy year for ACE with all services delivering at full capacity. Our communities are still deeply affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis, which saw ACE diversifying activity and introducing new services such as the Hafan project supporting people with health conditions made worse by living in cold and damp homes. Some of what was achieved is outlined below:

7

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Financial review

ACE's future continues to be exciting. We are a community-led charity which has a plan, purpose, and an extraordinary group of volunteers, trustees and staff. Over our last 14 years of operation, ACE has added over £14 million to the local economy across Cardiff West. From 2018-25 (post Communities First programme) income generated through direct ACE activities such as social enterprise activities, grant applications, contracts, fundraising and donations and legacies totals approximately £9.4 million.

ACE is a charity standing in its own right, working with residents to see meaningful change across communities. This is a huge achievement which continues to address an unfair stigma attached to Ely and Caerau, something residents of Ely and Caerau can be proud of. We have continued to build on a firm foundation of strong financial policy and effective financial management through 2024-25. Income in 2024-25 was spread across 54 projects which is greater than that of the previous year despite our income in this year being significantly lower than the year before due to the Caer Heritage Project having been completed. ACE has been successful in following its strategic plan objective to diversify income streams. During 2024-25 ACE received £1,202,518 income from numerous funders, contracts and donations. ACE also self-generated £106,334 via social enterprise such as rental, consultancy work and training.

ACE's financial performance and position going forward continues to be healthy in an increasingly challenging climate for the third sector. As with this year, future years are still going to be more challenging which is why it is so essential that ACE builds sufficient reserves to be able to meet any future liabilities. We will continue to regularly review the level of reserves and adjust accordingly. Interest rates have been encouraging throughout 2024-25 and we have taken advantage of this. In terms of expenditure we, along with everyone else, have seen our costs increase due to inflation.

An indication of ACE's perpetual financial prudence has been the decision to close the ACE Training enterprise which provided valuable commercial qualifications. The business has suffered increasing competition and reduced public sector contracts, and it was considered wise to cease trading while it was still breaking even.

Transactions and Financial Position

The Statement of Financial Activities shows a net unrestricted surplus for the year of £49,543 and our unrestricted reserves stand at £614,807.

Tangible Fixed Assets for use by the charity

Details of movements in fixed assets are set out in note 18 to the financial statements.

Investment Policy and Returns

Higher interest rates have prompted us to evolve an entirely new approach to the investment of cash reserves through our use of the Flagstone investment platform. As well as providing enhanced interest returns, our policy of investing standard tranches in three-month bonds on a rolling monthly programme has ensured that we can easily respond where necessary to changing cash flow requirements. We continue to hold funds in deposit with the Co-operative Bank. Our residential property at 458 Cowbridge Road West generates modest rent income.

8

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Reserves policy and going concern

We are continuing with the policy set in 2021 of setting aside a minimum of 18 months running costs of the organisation within our reserves - a strategy which appears increasingly well-grounded as funding for our sector becomes harder to secure. This has been achieved through the investment in property and the building of cash reserves, which now stand at an overall total of £672,173.

Plans for future periods

Looking forward, through careful planning, creative thinking and community based delivery, we will build on our success to date. ACE will enable community action through the direct provision of services, the development of community assets and social enterprise. We will access charitable, government, business and private funding to support our work, and will work with individuals, community groups, organisations and businesses, directing our resources in a sustainable and effective manner.

The prospects of a more difficult 2025-26 financial year mean that we may need to draw on reserves in the short term to sustain services, and to manage a more flexible approach to fundraising. A particular feature is likely to be an extension of our co-operation with partner organisations to raise funds together and run projects jointly. The trustees will continue to keep expenditure very closely under control, and will keep future prospects constantly under review and adapt our ongoing project programmes accordingly.

9

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

ACE-Action in Caerau and Ely is a company limited by guarantee governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 8 April 2011. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. Anyone over the age of 18 can become a member of the Company.

Appointment of trustees

All directors of the company are also trustees of the charity and there are no other trustees. The Trustees have the power to appoint additional trustees, as it considers fit to do so.

Directors/trustees are elected from the membership at an annual general meeting. Each year one third of the board of directors (those being the longest in office since their last election) stand down but are eligible for re-election without further nomination. The Memorandum and Articles of Association make allowances for an elected staff representative to sit as a full member of the board. The election of Chair takes place during the month following the AGM

Trustee induction and training

All new directors/trustees receive a comprehensive induction session and an induction pack with essential information. A full trustee training session is provided annually, as well as discussion and guidance on governance issues in the course of regular board meetings.

Organisation

The board of trustees, which can have up to 13 members, administers the charity. The board normally meets monthly. A Finance Committee is chaired by the Treasurer who is a trustee appointed by the board. It meets monthly to discuss investment, cash flow, audit and other financial management and policy issues. Ad hoc committees cover HR, funding and development. The ACE Director is appointed by the trustees to manage the day-to-day operations of the charity. To facilitate effective operations, the Director has delegated authority, within terms of delegation approved by the trustees, for operational matters including finance, employment and community related activity.

Related parties and co-operation with other organisations

None of our trustees is entitled to receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the charity, and none did so during the year. Any connection between a trustee or senior manager of the charity, contractor, must be disclosed to the full board of trustees in the same way as any other contractual relationship with a related party. In the current year no such related party transactions were reported.

Pay policy for staff

The ACE Director, and the senior management team comprise the key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the company on a day to day basis. Trustees give of their time freely. They set the salaries of the Director and the senior management team. Details of Directors' expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in note 9 and 19 to the accounts.

10

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

The pay of the staff is appraised annually and normally increased in accordance with average earnings. In view of the nature of the charity, the directors benchmark against pay levels in other third sector organisations of a similar size, run on a voluntary basis. The remuneration bench-mark is the mid-point of the range paid for similar roles adjusted for a weighting of up to 30% for any additional responsibilities. If recruitment has proved difficult in the recent past a market addition is also paid with the pay maximum no greater than the highest benchmarked salary for a comparable role.

Company policies

An extensive range of company management policies has been developed over the years covering all significant areas. This is monitored constantly by the Director and the trustees, and is regularly updated to meet changing circumstances. A three-year Strategic Plan lays out core policies and objectives, and provides a framework for all aspects of management.

Risk management

The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:

This work has identified that financial sustainability is the major financial risk for the charity. A key element in the management of financial risk is a regular review of available liquid funds to settle debts as they fall due, regular liaison with the bank, and active management of trade debtors and creditors balances to ensure sufficient working capital by the charity.

Attention has also been focused on non-financial risks arising from fire, IT security, market volatility, health and safety of staff and volunteers, and food hygiene. These risks are managed by ensuring accreditation is up to date, having robust policies and procedures in place, and regular awareness training for staff working in these operational areas.

Fundraising statement

ACE complies with the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice. No professional fundraisers or commercial participators were engaged in 2024-25. ACE received zero fundraising complaints (2024-25). Policies are in place to safeguard vulnerable people and respect donor preferences.

Safeguarding and serious incidents

ACE maintains up-to-date Safeguarding and Whistleblowing policies; staff and volunteers receive regular training and DBS checks where appropriate. No reportable serious incidents were notified to the Charity Commission in 2024-25.

11

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Charity registration number 1150422 Company registration number 07623914 Principal office and registered Our Place: Dusty Forge office 460 Cowbridge Road West Cardiff CF5 5BX United Kingdom

The trustees

M Dixey E Elliot C Lannen J Refalo J Roach O Scott L Smith M Witherden O Atobatele (Appointed 20 August 2024) J Davies (Appointed 28 October 2024)

Company secretary S F Powell Auditor Gordon Down & Partners Chartered accountants & statutory auditor 144 Walter Road Swansea SA1 5RW

Trustees' responsibilities statement

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102). They must prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the charity's affairs and incoming/outgoing resources. In doing so, they must:

12

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Auditor

Each of the persons who is a trustee at the date of approval of this report confirms that:

09/12/2025 The trustees' annual report and the strategic report were approved on .............................. and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

M Dixey Trustee

13

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Year ended 31 March 2025

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely (the 'charity') for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account), statement of financial position, statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

14

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of ACE - Action in Caerau and

Ely (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

15

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of ACE - Action in Caerau and

Ely (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees' responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the entity and determined that the most significant are those that relate to: FRS102 Employment law Tax & pension law Charities SORP Health & safety

We assessed the risks of material misstatement in respect of fraud as follows: We inquired with management about the existence of fraud and if there were any unusual transactions or relationships. We also performed various tests on the records to check for misstatement. We did not identify any issues.

We considered the risk of fraud through management override and, in response, we incorporated testing of adjusting entries into our audit approach.

Based on the results of our risk assessment we designed our audit procedures to identify and to address material misstatements in relation to fraud. We considered the possibility of fraudulent payments to third parties and also looked for segregation of duties.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the FRC’s website at https: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities.

16

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of ACE - Action in Caerau and

Ely (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

· Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the charity to cease to continue as a going concern.

17

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of ACE - Action in Caerau and

Ely (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity's members, as a body, in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

LauenceS Cohen

Laurence S Cohen

Gordon Down & Partners Chartered accountants & statutory auditor 144 Walter Road Swansea SA1 5RW

09/12/2025

18

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)

Year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
Unrestricted Restricted
funds funds Total funds Total funds
Note £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies 5 186 9,383 9,569 17,940
Charitable activities 6 3,506 1,065,705 1,069,211 1,367,918
Other trading activities 7 87,134 19,200 106,334 122,946
Investment income 8 17,404 17,404 6,025
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total income 108,230 1,094,288 1,202,518 1,514,829
================================ ========================================= ========================================= =========================================
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities 9,10 210,084 1,119,306 1,329,391 1,365,052
Other expenditure 13 31,399 31,399
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total expenditure 210,084 1,150,705 1,360,790 1,365,052
================================ ========================================= ========================================= =========================================
Net losses on investments 14 (10,000)
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Net (expenditure)/income (101,854) (56,417) (158,272) 139,777
================================ ========================================= ========================================= =========================================
Transfers between funds 151,397 (151,397)
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Net movement in funds 49,543 (207,814) (158,272) 139,777
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 565,264 1,363,304 1,928,568 1,788,789
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total funds carried forward 614,807 1,155,490 1,770,297 1,928,567
================================ ========================================= ========================================= =========================================

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 22 to 44 form part of these financial statements.

19

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Position

31 March 2025

2025 2024
Note £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets 19 878,333 969,224
Investments 20 210,010 210,010
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
1,088,343 1,179,234
Current assets
Debtors 22 27,164 117,381
Cash at bank and in hand 672,173 638,713
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
699,337 756,094
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 23 17,382 6,763
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net current assets 681,955 749,331
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total assets less current liabilities 1,770,298 1,928,565
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Net assets 1,770,298 1,928,565
========================================= =========================================
Funds of the charity
Restricted funds 1,155,491 1,363,300
Unrestricted funds 614,808 565,266
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total charity funds 25 1,770,299
=========================================
1,928,566
=========================================

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the medium companies regime.

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on ........................, and are signed on behalf of the board by: 09/12/2025

M Dixey Trustee

The notes on pages 22 to 44 form part of these financial statements.

20

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Cash Flows

Year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
£ £
Cash flows from operating activities
Net (expenditure)/income (158,272) 139,777
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 59,492 61,317
Net losses on investments 10,000
Other interest receivable and similar income (17,404) (6,025)
Interest payable and similar charges 703 661
Loss on disposal of tangible fixed assets 31,399
Accrued expenses/(income) 8,189 (41,871)
Changes in:
Trade and other debtors 90,217 57,987
Trade and other creditors 2,435 (165)
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Cash generated from operations 16,759 221,681
Interest paid (703) (661)
Interest received 17,404 6,025
---------------------------- --------------------------------
Net cash from operating activities 33,460 227,045
============================ ================================
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 33,460 227,047
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 638,713 411,667
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 672,173 638,714
================================ ================================

The notes on pages 22 to 44 form part of these financial statements.

21

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements

Year ended 31 March 2025

1. General information

The charity is a public benefit entity and a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is Our Place: Dusty Forge, 460 Cowbridge Road West, Cardiff, CF5 5BX, United Kingdom.

2. Statement of compliance

These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland', the 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)) and the Companies Act 2006.

3. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified by the revaluation of certain financial assets and liabilities and investment properties measured at fair value through income or expenditure.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements. There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.

Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

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 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 where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

22

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds.

Incoming resources

All income is included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity, it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Income from grants, whether capital grants or revenue grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. Capital grants are released to the SOFA in the year of receipt. Fixed assets relating to capital grants are capitalised, and depreciation charged is offset against the grant income, in a restricted fund.

Rental and training income is invoiced and is recognised in the period to which the service was provided.

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.

Income earned from interest is included in the accounts when receipt is probable and the amount receivable can be measured reliably.

23

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.

Tangible assets

Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Any tangible assets carried at revalued amounts are recorded at the fair value at the date of revaluation less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

An increase in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of a revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, unless it reverses a charge for impairment that has previously been recognised as expenditure within the statement of financial activities. A decrease in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, except to which it offsets any previous revaluation gain, in which case the loss is shown within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Long leasehold property - 5% straight line Plant and machinery - 10% straight line Motor vehicles - 20% straight line

24

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Investments

Fixed asset investments are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. The investments are assessed for impairment at each reporting date and any impairment losses or reversals of impairment losses are recognised immediately in net income/(expenditure) for the year.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the charity. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.

Investment property

Investment property, which is property held to earn rentals and/or for capital appreciation, is initially recognised at cost, which includes the purchase cost and any directly attributable expenditure. Subsequently it is measured at fair value at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in profit or loss.

Investments in associates

Investments in associates accounted for in accordance with the cost model are recorded at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.

Investments in associates accounted for in accordance with the fair value model are initially recorded at the transaction price. At each reporting date, the investments are measured at fair value, with changes in fair value taken through income or expenditure. Where it is impracticable to measure fair value reliably the cost model will be adopted.

Dividends and other distributions received from the investment are recognised as income without regard to whether the distributions are from accumulated profits of the associate arising before or after the date of acquisition.

Investments in joint ventures

Investments in jointly controlled entities accounted for in accordance with the cost model are recorded at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.

Investments in jointly controlled entities accounted for in accordance with the fair value model are initially recorded at the transaction price. At each reporting date, the investments are measured at fair value, with changes in fair value taken through income or expenditure. Where it is impracticable to measure fair value reliably the cost model will be adopted.

Dividends and other distributions received from the investment are recognised as income without regard to whether the distributions are from accumulated profits of the joint venture arising before or after the date of acquisition.

25

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Impairment of fixed assets

A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.

For the purposes of impairment testing, when it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.

For impairment testing of goodwill, the goodwill acquired in a business combination is, from the acquisition date, allocated to each of the cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination, irrespective of whether other assets or liabilities of the charity are assigned to those units.

Financial instruments

A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs.

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

Where investments in shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably, the investment is subsequently measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognised in income and expenditure. All other such investments are subsequently measured at cost less impairment.

Other financial instruments, including derivatives, are initially recognised at fair value, unless payment for an asset is deferred beyond normal business terms or financed at a rate of interest that is not a market rate, in which case the asset is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Other financial instruments are subsequently measured at fair value, with any changes recognised in the statement of financial activities, with the exception of hedging instruments in a designated hedging relationship.

Financial assets that are measured at cost or amortised cost are reviewed for objective evidence of impairment at the end of each reporting date. If there is objective evidence of impairment, an impairment loss is recognised under the appropriate heading in the statement of financial activities in which the initial gain was recognised.

26

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

For all equity instruments regardless of significance, and other financial assets that are individually significant, these are assessed individually for impairment. Other financial assets are either assessed individually or grouped on the basis of similar credit risk characteristics.

Any reversals of impairment are recognised immediately, to the extent that the reversal does not result in a carrying amount of the financial asset that exceeds what the carrying amount would have been had the impairment not previously been recognised.

Defined contribution plans

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised as an expense in the period in which the related service is provided. Prepaid contributions are recognised as an asset to the extent that the prepayment will lead to a reduction in future payments or a cash refund.

When contributions are not expected to be settled wholly within 12 months of the end of the reporting date in which the employees render the related service, the liability is measured on a discounted present value basis. The unwinding of the discount is recognised as an expense in the period in which it arises.

4. Limited by guarantee

The company is limited by guarantee and does not have a share capital. The liability of the members in the event of the company being liquidated is limited to £1 per member.

5. Donations and legacies

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2025
£ £ £
Donations
Donations 186 9,383 9,569
============== ======================= =======================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Donations
Donations 2,056 15,884 17,940

27

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

6. Charitable activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2025
£ £ £
Grants
Arts Council of Wales 21,060 21,060
Asda
Bevan Foundation
C3SC 2,250 2,250
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board 368,165 368,165
Cardiff Council 110,212 110,212
Cardiff University 61,993 61,993
Cardiff South Wales Cluster
Care & Repair 10,000 10,000
Charities Aid Foundation
Charities Trust 500 500
Citizens Advice 12,639 12,639
Cwmpas 13,663 13,663
Dusty Shed 8,874 8,874
Grow Cardiff
Heritage Lottery Fund
Independent Age
Invest Local Trust 253,947 253,947
Macmillan
National Lottery Community Fund
Save the Children 5,000 5,000
Co-Operative
Greggs 20,710 20,710
HMRC
The Screwfix Foundation
St Vincent de Paul Society
TK Maxx & Homesense Foundation
Community Foundation in Wales 3,000 3,000
Awards For All 19,866 19,866
Friends of the Earth Trust 7,600 7,600
Good Things Foundation 1,000 1,000
Hubbub 16,000 16,000
New Economics Foundation 80 80
Nisa 1,000 1,000
Secretary of State for Justice 53,066 53,066
Simon Gibson Charitable Trust 4,142 4,142
University of South Wales
Wales and West Housing 28,564 28,564
WCVA
Welsh Government 43,625 43,625
----------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
3,500 1,063,456 1,076,525
Sundry Income 6 2,249 2,255
---------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
3,506 1,065,705 1,069,211
============================== ======================================== =======================================

28

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

6. Charitable activities (continued)

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Grants
Arts Council of Wales 40,786 40,786
Asda 400 400
Bevan Foundation 390 390
C3SC 9,383 9,383
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board 294,185 294,185
Cardiff Council 88,224 88,224
Cardiff University 59,234 59,234
Cardiff South Wales Cluster 12,696 12,696
Care & Repair 10,000 10,000
Charities Aid Foundation 55,000 55,000
Charities Trust
Citizens Advice 10,283 10,283
Cwmpas 40,860 40,860
Dusty Shed 7,307 7,307
Grow Cardiff 127 127
Heritage Lottery Fund 15,724 15,724
Independent Age 20,000 20,000
Invest Local Trust 329,658 329,658
Macmillan 13,865 13,865
National Lottery Community Fund 165,176 165,176
Save the Children 53,300 53,300
Co-Operative 1,901 1,901
Greggs 19,713 19,713
HMRC 5,736 5,736
The Screwfix Foundation 2,500 2,500
National Grid 9,857 9,857
Social Farms and Gardens 140 140
Solva care 30 30
St Vincent de Paul Society 44,520 44,520
TK Maxx & Homesense Foundation 500 500
Community Foundation in Wales 1,000 1,000
Awards For All
Friends of the Earth Trust
Simon Gibson Charitable Trust
University of South Wales 250 250
Wales and West Housing 1,250 1,250
WCVA 9,439 9,439
Welsh Government 44,224 44,224
---------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
8,886 1,358,772 1,367,658
Sundry Income 260 260
---------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
9,146 1,358,772 1,367,918
============================== ======================================== =======================================

29

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

7. Other trading activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2025
£ £ £
Rental Income 25,083 10,289 35,372
Generated Income 62,051 8,911 70,962
---------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------
87,134 19,200 106,334
============================ ============================ ================================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Rental Income 23,275 6,912 30,187
Generated Income 92,025 734 92,759
-------------------------------- ----------------------- --------------------------------
115,300 7,646 122,946
================================ ======================= ================================

8. Investment income

Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2025 Funds 2024
£ £ £ £
Bank interest receivable 17,404 17,404 6,025 6,025
============================ ============================ ======================= =======================

30

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

9. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2025
£ £ £
Direct charitable activities 78,680 1,118,271 1,196,950
Support costs 131,404 1,035 132,441
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
210,084 1,119,306 1,329,391
================================ ========================================= =========================================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Direct charitable activities 53,654 1,130,951 1,184,604
Support costs 169,123 11,323 180,448
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
222,777 1,142,274 1,365,052
================================ ========================================= =========================================

10. Expenditure on charitable activities by activity type

Activities
undertaken
Grant funding
Support Total funds Total fund
directly
of activities
costs 2025 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Direct charitable
activities 939,956
256,994
125,498 1,322,448 1,355,537
Governance costs
6,943 6,943 9,515
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
939,956
256,994
132,441 1,329,391 1,365,052
================================ ================================ ================================ ========================================= =========================================

11. Analysis of support costs

Analysis of
support costs Total 2025 Total 2024
£ £ £
Staff costs 43,055 43,055 109,976
Project Costs 4,691 4,691
Depreciation 4,700 4,700 11,323
Cleaning 10,262 10,262 14,096
Heat, light and insurance 17,514 17,514 5,344
Training 628 628
IT costs and telephone 13,048 13,048 12,133
Professional fees 4,901
Printing, postage and stationery 6,024 6,024 4,962
Rent, rates, repairs and renewals 19,597 19,597 6,624
Motor, travel and subsistence 5,979 5,979 1,574
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
125,498 125,498 170,933
================================ ================================ ================================

31

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

12. Analysis of grants

2025 2024
£ £
Grants to institutions
Ecsopa 19,540 10,000
Hope Trust 172,901 213,818
In It Together 500
Save The Children 22,435
Commonwealth Theatre 4,500 300
Family Fund Business Services 24,048
South Riverside Community Development 4,000
Together For Trowbridge 1,375
The Millbank Movers 250
The Sudanese Community in East Cardiff 251
Trowbridge Pantry Grant 13,980
Cardiff People First 5,424 6,844
Community Care & Wellbeing Service 23,619 16,575
Benthyg 2,700
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
256,994 286,066
Grants to individuals
Grants to individuals 250
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total grants 256,994 286,316
================================ ================================
13. Other expenditure
Restricted Total Funds Restricted Total Funds
Funds 2025 Funds 2024
£ £ £ £
Loss on disposal of tangible fixed
assets held for charity's own use 31,399 31,399
============================ ============================ ============== ==============
14. Net losses on investments
Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2025 Funds 2024
£ £ £ £
Gains/(losses) on investment property (10,000) (10,000)
============== ============== ============================ ============================
15. Net (expenditure)/income
Net (expenditure)/income is stated after charging/(crediting):
2025 2024
£ £
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 59,492 61,317
Loss on disposal of tangible fixed assets 31,399
============================ ============================

32

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

16. Auditors remuneration

Fees payable for the audit of the financial statements

2025 2024
£ £
6,240 6,000
======================= =======================

17. Staff costs

The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as follows:
2025 2024
£ £
Wages and salaries 685,034 675,664
Social security costs 53,183 42,934
Employer contributions to pension plans 22,243 14,575
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
760,460 733,173
================================ ================================

The average head count of employees during the year was 33 (2024: 39). The average number of full-time equivalent employees during the year is analysed as follows:

2025 2024
No. No.
Number of staff 33 39
============== ==============

No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2024: Nil).

Key Management Personnel

Key management personnel include all persons that have authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the charity. The total compensation paid to key management personnel for services provided to the charity was £51,709 (2024:£69,481).

18. Trustee remuneration and expenses

No trustees received remuneration or received any other benefits from an employment with the charity during the current or prior year.

No trustees were reimbursed for expenses during the current or prior year.

33

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

19. Tangible fixed assets

Long
leasehold Plant and Motor
property machinery vehicles Total
£ £ £ £
Cost
At 1 April 2024 1,132,343 3,630 33,094 1,169,067
Disposals (36,499) (36,499)
----------------------------------------- ----------------------- ---------------------------- -----------------------------------------
At 31 March 2025 1,095,844 3,630 33,094 1,132,568
========================================= ======================= ============================ =========================================
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024 170,952 3,630 25,261 199,843
Charge for the year 54,792 4,700 59,492
Disposals (5,100) (5,100)
----------------------------------------- ----------------------- ---------------------------- -----------------------------------------
At 31 March 2025 220,644 3,630 29,961 254,235
========================================= ======================= ============================ =========================================
Carrying amount
At 31 March 2025 875,200 3,133 878,333
========================================= ======================= ============================ =========================================
At 31 March 2024 961,391 7,833 969,224
========================================= ======================= ============================ =========================================
20. Investments
Shares in
Investment group
properties undertakings Total
£ £ £
Cost or valuation
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 210,000 10 210,010
================================ ============== ================================
Impairment
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
============== ================================
Carrying amount
At 31 March 2025 210,000 10 210,010
================================ ============== ================================
At 31 March 2024 210,000 10 210,010
================================ ============== ================================

All investments shown above are held at valuation.

Investment properties

Investment property comprises a residential property purchased in October 2020 by the charity for rental appreciation. The fair value of the investment property has been arrived based on the valuation of a local estate agent in May 2024.

Contained in the above are amounts totalling £nil (2024: £nil) in relation to land.

34

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

21. Investment entities

Subsidiaries and other investments

The charity holds the entire issued shared capital of 1 ordinary share of £10 in ACE Community Enterprises Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales.

The company was incorporated on 07 February 2014 and remains dormant, company Number 08881835, registered office, Dusty Forge, Cowbridge Road West, Cardiff, CF5 5BZ.

Name of undertaking: ACE Community Enterprises Ltd Registerd office: England and Wales Nature of business: Dormant Class of shares held: Ordinary % Held: 100% (direct)

22. Debtors

2025 2024
£ £
Trade debtors 13,897 105,998
Other debtors 13,267 11,383
---------------------------- --------------------------------
27,164 117,381
============================ ================================
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2025 2024
£ £
Amounts owed to group undertakings 7 12
Accruals and deferred income 17,375 6,751
---------------------------- -----------------------
17,382 6,763
============================ =======================

23. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

24. Pensions and other post retirement benefits

Defined contribution plans

The amount recognised in income or expenditure as an expense in relation to defined contribution plans was £22,243 (2024: £14,575).

35

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds

Unrestricted funds

At Gains and At
1 Apr 2024 Income Expenditure Transfers losses 31 Mar 2025
£ £ £ £ £ £
General funds 170,578 108,230
(205,384)
151,398 224,822
Dusty Forge
Redevelopment 95,007
95,007
Fixed asset fund 89,679
(4,700)
84,979
Investment
property 210,000
210,000
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------- --------------------------------
565,264 108,230
(210,084)
151,398 614,808
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================ ============== ================================
At Gains and At
1 Apr 2023 Income Expenditure Transfers losses 31 Mar 2024
£ £ £ £ £ £
General funds 117,883 132,527
(218,077)
138,247 170,580
Dusty Forge
Redevelopment 95,007
95,007
Fixed asset fund 94,379
(4,700)
89,679
Investment
property 220,000
(10,000)
210,000
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------
527,269 132,527
(222,777)
138,247 (10,000)
565,266
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================ ============================ ================================

Dusty Forge Redevelopment: Comprise those funds set aside for future redevelopment work at the Dusty Forge building.

Fixed asset fund: relates to the net book value of the charity's unrestricted fixed assets.

Investment property: relates to the value of the property held for investment to generate unrestricted rental income for the charity.

Restricted funds

Restricted funds
At Gains and At
1 Apr 2024 Income Expenditure Transfers losses 31 Mar 2025
£ £ £ £ £ £
ACE Cares 13,663
(12,361)
(1,302)
ACE Community
Support 12,742 23,469
(3,569)
(6,611)
26,031
ACE Food 13,805
(486)
(5,635)
7,684
ACE Giving 18,474 1,737
(7,455)
430 13,186
ACE Health 75,365 176,474
(160,946)
(48,145)
42,748

36

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Arts Council of
Wales (1,507) 6,060 (6,757) 2,204
Baring
Benthyg 10,133 19,930 (23,669) (3,817) 2,577
Bereavement
Support 7,327 43,625 (38,936) (4,853) 7,163
Bevan
Foundation 9,218 (9,218)
Caer Enterprises 3,502 10,289 (12,805) 2,014 3,000
Children in Need
Creative Grow 1,006 (1,006)
Diana Gardens 7,333 4,142 (10,152) (614) 709
Dusty Shed 2,880 8,874 (10,986) (388) 380
Grace Project 53,066 (46,128) (6,938)
Heritage Lottery
Fund 648,813 (68,819) 28,144 608,138
Independent Age
Macmillan 12,606 (1,795) (10,811)
Memorial Garden 2,800 (1,009) 1,791
Moondance
Foundation 4,758 436 (151) (4,758) 285
Redress and
Cardiff Council
Hardship Fund 10,768 (9,128) 1,640
Save the Children 2,400 (2,400)
Shape your
Future 5,917 50,000 (46,977) (7,267) 1,673
Summer of
Smiles 6,502 5,248 (4,885) (6,864) 1
Together Trust 37,775 255,648 (225,856) (7,791) 59,776
WCVA (868) 868
Welsh Gov -
Communities
Facilities
Programme 246,456 (15,274) 12 231,194
Western Power
Working Well and
Helping Working
Families 107,024 (54,940) (25,846) 26,238
Workplace Youth (3,007) 3,007
Youth Innovation
Pantry 10,394 (2,492) 3,470 11,372
Voluntary Sector
Recovery 28,564 (17,674) (720) 10,170
Trelai Deg 1,197 12,800 (13,082) 1,860 2,775
Community Plan 11,216 52,712 (52,635) (3,250) 8,043
Yourspace N 19,554 145,033 (145,949) (8,360) 10,278
Ehangu - Save
the Children 35,593 (33,015) (2,579) (1)
Euroclad 2,000 210 (2,572) 362
Tea Fund 3 (1,186) 1,183

37

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Yourspace W 46,158
(38,876)
(2,849)
4,433
Heritage Lottery
Fund 7,308
(7,308)
Greggs
Foundation 7,000 20,710
(1,463)
(1,914)
24,333
Voices of Caer
Co-op Local
Community Fund
Caer Centre
Development 36,346 47,887
(43,110)
(5,000)
36,123
Community Food
Hub 10,500
(9,726)
(774)
Being Human 1,306
(712)
(154)
440
Volunteer
Delivery Budget
(56)
56
Nisa 1,000
(130)
870
Community
Cohesion 2,000
(1,411)
(589)
ACW Arts &
Health 15,000
(12,115)
(2,885)
Good Things
Foundation 1,000
(970)
(30)
MMEW 2,500
(1,841)
(659)
Postcode
Gardener 7,600
(2,400)
(2,149)
3,051
ACE History 2,500
2,500
Warmspaces 1,500
(1,500)
Period Poverty 4,000
(3,978)
(22)
C3SC Substance
Misuse 2,250
(1,020)
1,230
Nature Hubs 6,000
(340)
5,660
----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------- -----------------------------------------
1,363,304 1,094,288 (1,150,705) (151,396)
1,155,491
========================================= ========================================= ========================================= ================================ ============== =========================================
At Gains and At
1 Apr 2023 Income Expenditure Transfers losses 31 Mar 2024
£ £ £ £ £ £
ACE Cares 40,861
(38,144)
(2,717)
ACE Community
Support 4,814 33,060
(15,692)
(9,440)
12,742
ACE Food 13,805 9,735
(6,058)
(3,677)
13,805
ACE Giving 14,020 4,634
(180)
18,474
ACE Health 53,769 210,530
(171,502)
(17,433)
75,364

38

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Arts Council of
Wales 26,483 40,914 (67,929) (975) (1,507)
Baring 2,244 3,750 (5,049) (945)
Benthyg 2,365 10,174 (1,547) (860) 10,132
Bereavement
Support 44,224 (34,419) (2,478) 7,327
Bevan
Foundation 11,957 (2,570) (169) 9,218
Caer Enterprises 6,352 6,912 (12,180) 2,418 3,502
Children in Need 6,328 (5,028) (1,300)
Creative Grow 1,006 1,006
Diana Gardens 3,338 9,390 (5,916) 521 7,333
Dusty Shed 3,870 7,307 (8,073) (224) 2,880
Grace Project 1,697 44,520 (39,421) (6,796)
Heritage Lottery
Fund 698,357 (49,544) 648,813
Independent Age 18,395 20,000 (35,240) (3,155)
Macmillan 13,865 (1,159) (100) 12,606
Memorial Garden 2,800 2,800
Moondance
Foundation 4,758 4,758
Redress and
Cardiff Council
Hardship Fund 32,655 (21,887) 10,768
Save the Children 2,400 8,300 (7,360) (940) 2,400
Shape your
Future 55,000 (40,821) (8,262) 5,917
Summer of
Smiles 6,502 6,502
Together Trust 329,658 (274,580) (17,303) 37,775
WCVA
Welsh Gov -
Communities
Facilities
Programme 253,529 (7,073) 246,456
Western Power 9,383 (9,360) (23)
Working Well and
Helping Working
Families 78,972 177,872 (116,605) (33,215) 107,024
Workplace Youth (3,007) (3,007)
Youth Innovation 14,111 (14,111)
Pantry
Voluntary Sector
Recovery
Trelai Deg 11,600 (9,803) (600) 1,197
Community Plan 75,989 (60,903) (3,870) 11,216
Yourspace N 77,362 (50,702) (7,106) 19,554
Ehangu - Save
the Children 45,000 (6,757) (2,650) 35,593

39

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Euroclad 2,000 2,000
Tea Fund
Yourspace W 5,043 (4,496) (547)
Heritage Lottery
Fund 15,974 (8,666) 7,308
Greggs
Foundation 19,713 (11,713) (1,000) 7,000
Voices of Caer 850 (654) (196)
Co-op Local
Community Fund 1,902 (807) (1,095)
Caer Centre
Development 46,784 (10,438) 36,346
Community Food
Hub
Being Human
Volunteer
Delivery Budget
Nisa
Community
Cohesion
ACW Arts &
Health
Good Things
Foundation
MMEW
Postcode
Gardener
ACE History
Warmspaces
Period Poverty
C3SC Substance
Misuse
Nature Hubs
----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------- -----------------------------------------
1,261,520 1,382,302 (1,142,274) (138,248) 1,363,300
========================================= ========================================= ========================================= ================================ ============== =========================================

40

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Arts Council of Wales: This money was used to fund a project to engage young people from 14-16, 16-18 and 16-24 age categories.

ACE Cares: This national lottery funding pays for community development activity aimed at exploring the community's role in supporting people with care and support needs and unpaid carers within the Ely and Caerau communities.

ACE Community Support: This money is to the support a programme to provide information, practical support and advice to vulnerable community members in Ely and Caerau.

ACE Food: Budget for developing community food projects including Dusty Community Kitchen, Cafe Barr and Food for Life Get Togethers.

ACE Giving: An opportunity for individuals to make a financial contribution to ACE's charitable work through donations, sponsorship and fundraising activities.

ACE Health: This money was for the development and delivery of health and wellbeing initiatives, including social prescribing, community development, participation and engagement work.

ACE Housing: Provision of a high quality, affordable, well maintained rental home to a local family, with additional support through ACE services where necessary.

Benthyg: WCVA Landfill Trust this funding supported the development of a new library of things project (ACE Benthyg), offering a range of household items for community members to borrow at low cost.

Bereavement support: This grant pays for a multi-partner project with ACE, CCAWS and Cardiff People First, delivering a mix of direct counselling, bereavement courses and development of peer support approaches, aimed at engaging groups who have been traditionally under-represented in mainstream bereavement support services.

Bevan Foundation: This funded 1 day a week staff time to bring about systems change through community engagement contributing to various consultations to inform policy change.

Caer Enterprises: Development of social enterprise and income generating activity related to ACE's CAER Heritage project, including sales of CAER T-shirts and art.

Children In Need: This money is to fund a project which uses local heritage and history as inspiration for experimental and exploratory STEM activities and projects.

Creative Grow: This money was used Delivery of indoor art/garden sessions, room hire & materials.

Diana Gardens/ Grapevine: This money is to support the development of the ‘Diana Gardens’ site, community activity on and around the site and community capacity building with local volunteers.

Dusty Shed: This money was used to support a Men's Shed project based at the Dusty Forge.

Grace Project: This project supports men in the community who are involved with the criminal justice system. The Grand Avenues project is a partnership between HMPPS, SVP and ACE.

41

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Funding was used to fund a staff member for 3 days a week, a staff member 1/2 day a week, project costs and management costs to support the men on the project address issues around health, income and housing.

Heritage Lottery Fund: This money was used to deliver the CAER Heritage Project.

Independent Age: This project supports older people in the community to stay warm in their homes, through income maximisation and energy support. This income has funded a full time Older Persons Caseworker.

Macmillan: A project exploring how community development approaches can be used to increase the range of supportive care available for people who are dying, those supporting someone who is dying and people who are facing or experiencing bereavement.

Memorial Garden: This project is developing a new community garden to support activities that bring people together and support community connection and wellbeing.

MIND (Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund: Wales) A project to increase the capacity and reach of the Phone Friends project and to make it more accessible for people with a learning disability, working in partnership with Cardiff People First.

Moondance Foundation: This money is to fund the Caer Heritage Project.

Pantry: This money is to support the membership food club providing affordable food shop for members in food poverty / insecurity. The project includes running a community food shop and delivery service using surplus food supplied by Fareshare project to support struggling working families to get involved in the design and delivery of community projects tackling in work poverty.

Redress Warm and Cardiff Council Hardship Fund: Affordable warmth advice and support for community members in / at risk of fuel poverty delivered through drop in / case work sessions.

Save the Children: This was used to fund a series of art workshops over the summer holidays for children and young people living in Ely and Caerau. If Ehangu to work with community partners to develop new initiatives that support early years projects in Ely and Caearau.

Summer of Smiles: Income was used to provide a range of inclusive activities for children and young people across the communities of Ely and Caerau.

Tier 0: This money is to support a mental health service which provides psychological interventions through 1-1 guided self-help sessions and the delivery of psychoeducational courses.

Together Trust: This money is to deliver Building Communities Trust (BCT) invest local programme.

Voluntary Sector Recovery: This project supported volunteers to re-engage with ACE after the Pandemic disruption, providing staff time to run reintegration sessions and follow up support, training and update our volunteer processes to help volunteers with overcome barriers to contributing to projects.

WCVA: This funding was to diversify the income of ACE Training through the development of a website to increase sales and promote to a wider audience, particularly targeting the private

42

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

25. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

sector. It also funded consultants to conduct market research and develop a training package bespoke to ACE underlining ACE's approaches in Asset Based Community Development, Community Organising and Co-production. The training is now being offered to the public, statutory and third sector who wish their teams to to learn about the afore mentioned principles and how to put them into practice as it relates to their work.

Welsh Government Communities Facilities Programme: This is a capital fund to support the refurbishment and renovation of community buildings.

Western Power: This funds our advice provision supporting those in fuel poverty/fuel crisis.

Working Well and Helping Working Families: This is a partnership project with Tempo and Citizens Cymru to combine asset based community development with community organising approaches to enable sustainable solutions to in work poverty to be identified, piloted and developed.

Workplace Youth: This funding through Waterloo Foundation was used to engage with young people aged 16 to 25yrs in a series of woodwork sessions, and Level 1 Health and Safety in a Construction Environment Training. The aim of the funding was to support young people into work.

Youth Innovation: This money was used to support local groups, organise and support voluntary youth activities.

Transfers: Relates to capital spend where the conditions of the grant has been fulfilled, management charge overhead allocation and internal project recharges. Where projects have incurred an overspend the board have agreed for unrestricted funds to cover the deficits.

26. Analysis of net assets between funds

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2025
£ £ £
Tangible fixed assets 84,979 793,354 878,333
Investments 210,010 210,010
Current assets 337,200 362,137 699,337
Creditors less than 1 year (17,382) (17,382)
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Net assets 614,807 1,155,491 1,770,298
================================ ========================================= =========================================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Tangible fixed assets 93,009 876,215 969,224
Investments 210,010 210,010
Current assets 269,010 487,085 756,095
Creditors less than 1 year (6,763) (6,763)
-------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Net assets 565,266 1,363,300 1,928,566
================================ ========================================= =========================================

43

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

27. Analysis of changes in net funds

At
At 1 Apr 2024 Cash flows 31 Mar 2025
£ £ £
Cash at bank and in hand 638,713 33,460 672,173
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------
638,713 33,460 672,173
================================ ============================ ================================

28. Charges on assets

The National Heritage Memorial Fund have a registration of charge over the leasehold of Caerau Evangelical Church, Church Road, Caerau, Cardiff, CF5 5LQ.

29. Related parties

There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).

44

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Management Information

Year ended 31 March 2025

The following pages do not form part of the financial statements.

45

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
£ £
Brought forward (921,448) (1,330,435)
2025 2024
£ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
Donations 9,569 17,940
--------------------------- ---------------------------
Charitable activities
Arts Council of Wales 21,060 40,786
Asda 400
Bevan Foundation 390
C3SC 2,250 9,383
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board 368,165 294,185
Cardiff Council 110,212 88,224
Cardiff University 61,993 59,234
Cardiff South Wales Cluster 12,696
Care & Repair 10,000 10,000
Charities Aid Foundation 55,000
Charities Trust 500
Citizens Advice 12,639 10,283
Cwmpas 13,663 40,860
Dusty Shed 8,874 7,307
Grow Cardiff 127
Heritage Lottery Fund 15,724
Independent Age 20,000
Invest Local Trust 253,947 329,658
Macmillan 13,865
National Lottery Community Fund 165,176
Save the Children 5,000 53,300
Co-Operative 1,901
Greggs 20,710 19,713
HMRC 5,736
The Screwfix Foundation 2,500
National Grid 9,857
Social Farms and Gardens 140
Solva care 30
St Vincent de Paul Society 44,520
TK Maxx & Homesense Foundation 500
Community Foundation in Wales 3,000 1,000
Awards For All 19,866
Friends of the Earth Trust 7,600
Good Things Foundation 1,000
Hubbub 16,000
New Economics Foundation 80
Nisa 1,000
Secretary of State for Justice 53,066
Simon Gibson Charitable Trust 4,142
University of South Wales 250

46

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
£ £
Brought forward (921,448) (1,330,435)
Wales and West Housing 28,564 1,250
WCVA 9,439
Welsh Government 43,625 44,224
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
1,076,525 1,385,598
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Sundry Income 2,255 260
----------------------- --------------
-------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
1,069,211 1,367,918
-------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
Other trading activities
Rental Income 35,372 30,187
Generated Income 70,962 92,759
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
106,334 122,946
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Investment income
Bank interest receivable 17,404 6,025
---------------------------- -----------------------
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total income 1,202,518 1,514,829
========================================= =========================================

47

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
£ £
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
Wages and salaries 685,034 675,664
Employer's NIC 53,183 42,934
Pension costs 22,243 14,575
Rates and water 971 3,522
Light and heat 12,130 16,205
Repairs and maintenance 32,583 12,374
Insurance 6,895 5,841
Motor vehicle expenses 1,431
Other motor/travel costs 6,520 1,645
Legal and professional fees 6,240 13,755
Other office costs 7,691 8,093
Depreciation 59,492 61,317
Other interest payable and similar charges 703 661
Training 628 2,262
Equipment and room hire 9,340 4,624
Project Costs 144,399 166,339
Cleaning 10,262 14,096
IT costs & telephone 14,083 33,398
256,994 286,316
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
1,329,391 1,365,052
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Other expenditure
Loss on disposal of tangible fixed assets held for charity's own use 31,399
---------------------------- --------------
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Total expenditure 1,360,790 1,365,052
========================================= =========================================
Net losses on investments
Gains/(losses) on investment property (10,000)
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net (expenditure)/income (158,272) 139,777
================================ ================================

48

ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Detailed Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
£ £
Expenditure on charitable activities
Direct charitable activities
Activities undertaken directly
Wages/salaries 641,979 565,688
Employer's NIC 53,183 42,934
Pension costs 22,243 14,575
Rates & water 904 2,818
Light & heat 1,511 12,964
Repairs & maintenance 13,053 6,454
Insurance 3,738
Other motor/travel costs 541 1,502
Other office costs 1,667 3,131
Depreciation 54,792 49,994
Training 2,262
Equipment and room hire 9,340 4,624
Project Costs 139,708 166,339
IT costs & telephone 1,035 21,265
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
939,956 898,288
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Grant funding activities
Grants payable 256,994 286,316
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Support costs
Wages/salaries 43,055 109,976
Rates & water 67 704
Light & heat 10,619 3,241
Repairs & maintenance 19,530 5,920
Insurance 6,895 2,103
Motor vehicle expenses 1,431
Other motor/travel costs 5,979 143
Legal and professional fees 4,901
Other office costs 6,024 4,962
Depreciation 4,700 11,323
Training 628
Project Costs 4,691
Cleaning 10,262 14,096
IT costs & telephone 13,048 12,133
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
125,498 170,933
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Governance costs
Governance costs - accountancy fees 676 650
Governance costs - audit fees 5,564 8,204
Bank charges 703 661
----------------------- -----------------------
6,943 9,515
----------------------- -----------------------
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Expenditure on charitable activities 1,329,391 1,365,052
========================================= =========================================

49

ace Action in Caerau & Ely Gweithredu yng Nghaerau a Threlái

. wl * J i = 4 ; an | « Action in i , ss % co a | —— Caerau and Ely ~~Annual Report 24/25~~

1

Our ~~Ambitions~~ , For Our , ~~Community~~ \h a Me ar I% 7 t FY ty > *x ‘ #2 47 wo 5 eSOS :. ) Se ae ¥ Li a é Through Our ~~Own Eforts~~ .

2

Contents

  1. Message from 7. Community the Chair Support p4 p12

  2. Good Food Hub

  3. About ACE p6

  4. Advice and Support

  5. Restore

  6. Ely and Caerau Community Plan p8

  7. ACE Benthyg

  8. Grand Avenues

  9. Café Barr

  10. The Dusty Shed

  11. ACE Partnerships p9

    • Repair Café
  12. Together for St Mellons & Trowbridge p14

  13. The Big Dig p10

  14. Dylan's Story p15

  15. Diana Garden Postcode Gardener p16

  16. Peace Garden p17

  17. Health & Wellbeing p18

    • Yourspace Wellbeing Support

    • A Day in the life of a Wellbeing Connector

    • Bereavement Support

  18. CAER Heritage & Learning Centre p11

  19. ACE Places p20

  20. ACE Volunteers p22

  21. ACE Arts p24

  22. Shape Your Future p25

  23. The ACE Way p26

  24. Sara's Story

  25. p27

  26. Our Impact in Numbers p28

  27. ACE Trustees, Volunteers & ACE Staff p31

  28. Financial Report p33

  29. Funders and Partners p34

3

Message from the Chair

ACE continues to work with a multitude of organisations to make a positive difference to the residents of Ely & Caerau and those in other parts of Cardiff. Funding has been difficult to secure, as many charities have seen this year. ACE has linked up with other organisations to deliver projects through partnerships and maximize funding opportunities. Sadly the ACE Arts project has had to close due to lack of available funding.

The CAER Heritage and Learning Centre has become well used by groups such as Flying Start and Love Our Hillfort, and hosted a number of courses run by Cardiff Council Adult Learning and Cardiff Met to name a few. The course subjects have ranged from Bookkeeping and Starting your own Business to Paediatric First Aid and Creative Writing. A number of successful cooking and healthy eating courses have been hosted by the Centre. The annual dig in Trelai Park yielded more intriguing objects and was well supported by Cardiff University, local schools, and a large number of enthusiastic volunteers.

The development of our outdoor space at Diana Garden has continued, with the help of dedicated volunteers, and groups from firms that have volunteering programmes. It has become a venue for outdoor activities run in partnership with Ely & Caerau Children’s Centre and various ACE projects, as well as providing a supply of fruit and vegetables for the community fridge and the café.

Our new Postcode Gardener community greening project has supported work around the area, and assisted in the development of gardens at the Trelai Pavilion with the Grand Avenues project, and the Peace (formerly Memorial) Garden at the Dusty Forge. The latter project has had input and funding from Keep Wales Tidy, Grow Cardiff, and Community Payback teams.

Our Community Support team has been very busy and has worked with the Yourspace social prescribing teams in the South West, West, and North Cardiff clusters, and the Grand Avenues team, as well as the local community. They have been successful in helping many people get benefits and support that they are entitled to which has greatly improved their wellbeing.

Everyone at ACE is determined to continue to work together with our community to make life better and bring positive change. Thank you for your support, as always.

Marian Dixey - Chair

4

Equal IWli11 IA tym, [VL fil41 LKIT y KS

About ACE

Our Vision

To create ‘vibrant, equal and resilient communities for all, where people find fulfilment in themselves, each other, and the place where they live’.

Our Values

How We Work

Local people know their community best.

Everyone has something unique to contribute.

We work with communities to achieve lasting positive change for an equal and just Cardiff by:

Everyone’s contribution should be valued equally.

Poverty should not be accepted as a fact of life.

Social injustice should be challenged and changed.

6

Resilient r*

Ely and Caerau Community Plan

With input from 1,234 people, the Ely and Caerau Community Plan brought people together to make a positive difference at a local level. Each of the 40 actions in the Community Plan were designed in response to needs and ideas shared by the community. The work was completed in March 2024 and a full report on the impact of all 40 actions can be found on our website: www.aceplace.org/community-plan/

The Community Plan directed approximately £2 million of grant funding, secured from various sources including the Welsh Government, the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, and Cardiff Council, into the area. You can find a breakdown of funding on the same webpage.

A dedicated group met 4 times to review the progress of all 40 actions during 2023 and 2024, offering support and challenge where needed. The Community Steering Group is made up of

local residents (3 adults and a young person) and representatives from schools, churches, Cardiff Youth Service, Police, GP surgeries and charities active in the local area including ACE, Save the Children, Citizens Cymru and Barnardo’s. They heard regularly from staff in Cardiff Council on the actions they were responsible for, including parks and community safety teams.

We also shared highlights on the Community Plan Facebook page.

Many groups who came together to make this happen have continued working together on new projects to support the community, creating a legacy of collaboration that will continue into the future. We want to say a big thank you to everyone involved in this work - together we made a lot of positive change happen for people of all ages across Ely and Caerau.

Community Action 6.4 Celebrating our community 4 Festivals and fun days were attended by over 1,300 people, plus another 12 community fun days took place over 2024, with thousands enjoying coming together as a community.

Community Action 2.3 Bike safety 16 young people took part in a week-long motocross event, learning new skills. Legal

and safety rules for e-bikes were shared through all local secondary schools and on social media.

Community Action 2.4 Action on Anti-Social Behaviour Hotspots South Wales Victim Focus installed free video doorbells for 20 residents experiencing the effects of anti-social behaviour. CCTV and local street lighting was also upgraded.

Community Action 3.2 New Youth Space Cardiff West Community High School opened a brand new community Youth Space in the school, with regular youth club nights run by Cardiff Youth Service (extra to existing clubs).

Community Action 1.9 Parent Power Place A group of parents and carers with experience of children’s

services come together regularly to talk, listen and share experiences and advice.

Community Action 4.1 Barnardo’s YEWS Barnardo’s Youth Engagement and Wellbeing Service supported young people to gain essential life skills. One young person said ‘I can open up and talk about how I am feeling”.

8

ACE Partnerships with the LPB (Learning Partnership Board)

In the last few years, ACE has developed closer relationships with Ely and Caerau Children’s Centre (ECCC), Save the Children, and the local Learning Partnership Board (LPB).

In the collaborative ‘Ehangu/Dan y Coed’ project in 2023, local families worked with us to design a project to create spaces suitable for outdoor play for families with children aged 0-5. We worked together to design and deliver creative outdoor play activities in nature, in three outdoor spaces that we developed for the purpose. The project was a great success, with 160 adults and 244 children benefiting from outdoor play. We then applied together for lottery funding, which enabled us to continue Dan y Coed play activities on 2 sites in 2024/25.

Save the Children reflected on the strength of these partnerships in their report: “Effective collaboration… relies on shared values, trusting in the process and others, being open to working differently and shifting mindsets – with a desire to connect and strengthen relationships.”

This strong partnership is now working together to ensure that local families’ voices are heard and acted on in our Learning Partnership Board. Save the Children secured funding from Welsh Government for ‘Camau Bach, Newid Mawr/Little steps, Big change’. Together we listened to 81 children and young people and 88 parents and carers about how they share their ideas and how they want their voices to be heard. Now we are testing a new way of working across 7 local schools, where school councils and parents groups will share their views directly with the Learning Partnership Board meetings each term. Through effective partnerships, the LPB can respond to these ideas and help bring about real change.

Through being open minded, sharing values and learning to work together, we are collaborating in really exciting work that brings the voice of the community to the heart of the Learning Partnership board, and beyond to a growing network of organisations and campaigns where local voices can have an impact.

9

The Big Dig Trelai Park

More secrets revealed at archaeological dig in Trelai Park

Photo: Vivian Thomas

CAER Heritage took to Trelai Park again this summer for another fascinating four-week community archaeology dig to explore the Bronze Age settlement that is beautifully preserved beneath the park. The CAER team, along with 430 volunteers, 9 local schools with 224 pupils, 6 community groups and Cardiff University students all got their hands dirty, continuing the exciting string of discoveries by uncovering a second Bronze Age roundhouse, a Bronze Age burial ground containing cremations and evidence from the Roman Period, giving us a fantastic window into the lives of Ely & Caerau residents over the last 3,500 years. The big dig community open day brought hundreds of people together at the site to find out more about the heritage of the park, see the ancient artefacts that were unearthed, and have fun with creative activities and games. In all, 1423 people attended the dig in 2025!

park, and above all the local community, without whom nothing that CAER has done would have been possible.

If you’re interested in your local history, we’re at the CAER Centre every Wednesday from 10am-12pm cleaning finds from the dig. Everyone is welcome to come and get involved.

The dig this year produced plenty of exciting finds including flint tools, pottery, part of a Bronze Age axe, a flint arrowhead, a quern stone, and other objects that were used by the people that lived there. All the finds have been taken to the CAER Heritage Centre where the post-excavation work is taking place with the Love Our Hillfort volunteers helping to clean and analyse them.

Volunteer Hannah Secker, a student completing her A-Levels who would like to study Archaeology said: “It’s unbelievable finding artefacts that could be 3,000 years old and thinking about the people that have walked on this ground before us”.

Love Our Hillfort volunteer and Cardiff University Archaeology student Dan Queally said: “It’s not just the archaeology I’ve learned about, it’s about seeing the difference a project like this can make to people here and now”.

CAER has been running for almost 15 years now. It’s brought together archaeologists and students from Cardiff University with ACE members, local schools, residents, community groups and more. This year’s dig has really put Trelai Park on the archaeological map and we’re so grateful for the ongoing support from Cardiff Council, who gave us permission to dig in the

CAER Volunteer Hannah with the quern stone from the Bronze Age! Photo: Vivian Thomas

10

CAER Heritage & Learning Centre

in Childcare’, with more planned for the rest of the year, all based on local people’s interest and needs. The NHS brought their Dietary Requirements cooking course and their Recovery & Wellbeing College to the CAER Centre. We have also hosted other courses on making healthy meals where attendees take home with them the food they make during the course.

In 2025 the CAER Centre has flourished as a hub of learning in our community, hosting higher education and training courses, school group visits and regular community groups, providing a variety of opportunities for learning for all ages and continuing to explore our community’s fascinating heritage.

Weekly groups include CAER Carers Club, Love Our Hillfort and the CAER Gardening group. Flying Start runs weekly wellbeing sessions and toddler groups. Other regular community courses, activities, and events, include ‘Get Cooking’ sessions and ‘New Era’ music workshops for young people.

We hosted several community days in partnership with Cardiff University’s School of Music, the School of History, Archaeology and Religion and the Postcode Lottery.

In partnership with Cardiff University we also hosted several courses. These included Community Archaeologist Specialist Training courses, accredited training courses hosted with ‘Reaching Wider’, Cardiff University’s adult learning outreach programme, including the popular ‘Health & Social Care’, ‘Starting Your Own Business’, ‘Criminology’, ‘Archaeology Ceramics’, ‘Excel and Computer Skills’ and ‘Careers

The dedicated volunteers at CAER Heritage Love Our Hillfort group have facilitated Archaeology themed Open Days at the centre and have been taking part in the Council for British Archaeology’s Catalysts for Change project, aimed at bringing together community archaeology groups from across the U.K. to share their experiences and knowledge of co-creating research. They also showcased the vibrant heritage centre garden at events and co-produced and implemented several garden projects, including beginning work on a Roman medicinal garden outdoor educational resource and making several improvements to the garden that will support wellbeing through improving accessibility to outdoor activities.

Treasures of Trelai Park.

The exhibition was open to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays in the CAER Centre from 2nd February until 1st May. We were delighted to welcome visitors to see the wonderful finds from the dig and the beautiful art inspired by those discoveries on display. The exhibition was co-created by local young people and community members, including the amazing ACE Arts Youth Group, Cardiff West Community High School students, Love Our Hillfort volunteers, and MIGHTY Community Artist Programme participants.

Photo: Vivian Thomas

11

Community Support

Good Food Hub

“It opened my mind to healthy, planet-friendly eating and unusual ways to make things. Thank you so much, this has been 2 hours of happiness each week.

é food demos, nutrition education, quizzes and games i alongside Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong and garden activities. 30 people from the local community attended our sessions. 98% said they would be encouraged to try cooking a similar dish at home and everyone learned more about healthy food and nutrition. Cookery books were kindly donated by the National Literacy Trust. Through the project we have also set up a new Food LJ Network for Ely and Caerau, which will build links and i ii collaboration between local food projects.

Community Events

In 2024/25 we set up our new Good Food Hub, promoting our food, nutrition and health work in the community. Our database now has 60 people, many of whom regularly attend events to improve their health and well-being.

Let’s Get Cooking!

With funding from Hubbub and Cardiff Council, we launched a series of ‘Get Cooking’ courses at the Caer Heritage Centre, helping residents cook easy, healthy, affordable food. In partnership with Cardiff & Vale Dietetics Team and our Community Food Practitioner, Caroline Holroyd, we ran four 5-week Agored-accredited ‘Preparing a Healthy Meal’ courses with different interactive themes including ‘Fakeaway’, ‘Tasty Budget’, ‘Autumn Seasonal & Winter Warming Cooking’. Hubbub also funded the development and delivery of our own bespoke 6 week programme, ‘Food for Health & Planet’, on healthy, sustainable, planet-friendly cooking.

During summer 2024 we teamed up with our amazing community partners to host three family-friendly food events, which welcomed over 60 adults and children, creating opportunities to cook, learn, and connect around healthy food.

We supported 30 people to build their skills, knowledge and confidence to cook from scratch, with 15 achieving an Agored entry level 3 qualification. We are now working to build this interest in cooking, health and nutrition with National Lottery community funding secured for our Good Food Club until July 2026. Our Hubbub programme is also set to continue with additional funding awarded to run workshops on improving community health through cost effective, balanced and wholesome cooking ideas.

Living Well

Our ‘Living Well’ project addressed healthy eating and exercise through 7 workshops. Funded by Cardiff & Vale Health Board via C3SC as part of their Good Food & Movement Framework, these sessions included

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ACE Advice and Support

Hafan is a new project that began in 2024, aligned with YourSpace, our successful social prescribing project. Referrals are made directly by local GP's for patients with health conditions, exacerbated by living in cold homes. They receive bespoke energy advice, benefit checks and help that eases immediate pressures and builds lasting solutions by increasing household income through unclaimed benefits and energy efficiency. The project has generated £987,000 in unclaimed benefit income, creating £19.75 value for every £1 invested.

ACE Benthyg

Our library of things, ACE Benthyg, continues to grow, with 600+ active members and around 50 items borrowed each month. Our carpet cleaner and hedge trimmer remain our most commonly borrowed items, and DIY and gardening tools are still the most popular categories. Our library stock is ever-growing - from children’s bug-hunting kits and party-ready chocolate fountains to cement mixers and wood chippers. Membership is free. We’re open Monday and Friday mornings in the Restore space, and alongside the Repair Café on the fourth Saturday of each month. You can also browse and reserve items online (see web address and QR code below) and we welcome drop ins, where you can ask questions, and see what’s available.

Restore

Restore at the Dusty Forge is open every Wednesday morning, offering free fresh and ambient food from our Community Fridge, affordable toiletries and cleaning products, and a pet food bank. By redistributing quality surplus food, we cut waste and support our community as we all face rising costs. Over the last year we diverted 2,500 kg of food from landfill and welcomed 500 visits from local residents. We aim to extend opening hours in the year ahead.

“It makes such a difference you being here, you should all be really proud of what you do.” - Drew

Grand Avenues

Grand Avenues is a partnership between ACE and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). As part of the project, people on probation are supervised in local community hubs by a small, dedicated team of probation practitioners. Working alongside community partners, they provide a wide range of support to people on probation and their families, including with finance, training and employment, and healthcare. Grand Avenues supports and encourages people to meaningfully contribute to the local community.

ace.benthyg.cymru

Café Barr

Café Barr continues to provide a warm, welcoming space at the Dusty Forge, where people can connect over delicious and healthy food. Local volunteers cook three free community meals each week:

Volunteers and participants build cooking skills and gain accredited qualifications. Anyone can drop in. 60 - 100 people join weekly, reducing isolation and helping stretch household budgets.

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The Dusty Shed

The Dusty Shed now runs four weekly sessions: 10-12 men and women participate in each woodworking and social activity session on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays as well as Wellbeing Wednesdays for men to discuss the challenges they face in later life and offer peer-topeer support. We’re also sharing skills, constructing bird boxes and planters for organisations and schools developing ‘green’ community spaces.

Repair Café ~~————~~ For six years our Dusty Repair Cafe team has ‘popped up’ monthly. Our dedicated team of volunteer fixers have shared their skills free of charge to check out 700+ broken items and

mended three-quarters of them! Our friendly fixers’ skills range from repairing everyday electrical household items and garden equipment to offering IT software advice and undertaking basic bike and scooter repairs. Family heirlooms

restored have included specialist woodwork and ceramics as well as revival of elderly soft toys and specialist textiles. ‘Kind, friendly – helpful above and beyond’ reported one satisfied customer.

Together for St. Mellons and Trowbridge

Together for Trowbridge and St. Mellons (T4TSM) is one of 13 Invest Local Programmes in Wales funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. It is a 10-year programme that builds on the strengths, skills and talents in the community

to create positive and long-lasting change. ACE acts as grantholder for a steering group of local residents and representatives from community-based organisations, who lead on the delivery of the programme.

During 2024-25 the staff member working for the programme moved into another local role and the steering group have been exploring ways that they can meet the aims of the programme without a member of staff, which has included

providing grants and support to local groups and organisations and paying for sessional hours to carry out localised community development activities in the Trowbridge area.

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Dylan’s Story Gardening pulls me back on track

I got involved in the garden here at Trelai Pavillion about 5 months ago. I come down here to see my probation officer; they told me about the garden. Because I haven’t got a garden of my own, to have this on your doorstep is a good alternative.

It just allows me to switch off. I don’t have a built in release valve. So I have to do something to switch myself off, it doesn’t come easily to me. So doing something with my hands takes my mind off life’s stresses. I don’t know the nuts and bolts of it, I just know it works.

The planters were put in by Keep Wales Tidy and the lads on probation. I come in and maintain what we’ve set up - do a bit of watering, a bit of weeding. I’ve planted some cucumbers and tomatoes, the herb garden, some strawberries. As it’s our first season, I think we are all learning as we go along and learn from each other as well. I’m not an expert but I have got an NVQ in gardening, I did it in prison. It’s out of date now but when you’re qualified, you’re qualified! We’ll always keep learning, and I’ll always be here at the garden.

I think the social interaction is what I enjoy most. Because I have problems switching off from life. I suffer

with my mental health, with anxiety and depression, I’ve had it for over 30 years. Sometimes it gets out of hand and I can’t get it back, and I feel like I’m in a vicious circle of anxiety, and I think situations are worse than they are. For me, gardening pulls me back on track. I don’t think my life would be as good without the gardening. I don’t have much family that I’m in contact with so I have worked at putting things in place, having some community around me. It’s a lot to build your life again from scratch.

We’re only getting started here, we’ve been here less than a year, but in 5 years this garden will be just as amazing as the one in the Dusty Forge. We’re trying to get some lavender in for the bees… we’ve already got lots of bees in here but I don’t think you can ever have enough wildlife.

I would say to anyone thinking of getting involved in gardening, give it a try, you might like it. I like it. There’s no pressure and you might enjoy it and you might make some good friends too. I certainly have.

Dylan (not his real name) is a volunteer with a community garden group supported by Grand Avenues Project and HM Prison and Probation Service, and ACE’s Postcode Gardener project.

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Diana Garden

In the last twelve months community engagement has gone from strength to strength in Diana Garden. We have had regular twice weekly gardening sessions with ten community volunteers attending regularly to maintain the garden, prepare beds and plant and harvest a range of fruit and vegetables. Weekly gardening sessions not only help maintain the garden but also act as an important way of connecting with others and improving self confidence and self esteem. We learn from each other and develop new skills.

We also organised various seasonal community events with community members contributing to the activities and providing refreshments. We will continue to organise events for the coming year with collaboration from other providers

We feel that Diana Garden is more than a green space: it is a community-led sanctuary where residents of all ages can learn, connect, and thrive in nature. With

Postcode Gardener

In partnership with The Co-operative Bank, Friends of the Earth has funded ACE to employ a Postcode Gardener. Postcode Gardeners inspire people to get together, get planting and keep growing. They help grow plants for flowers, food and wildlife along streets and in public spaces where people can enjoy them. At the project launch in March 2025, local people participated in planting trees, sowing seeds, and mapping out potential areas for greening. So far, we have grown plants in 19 places - from sunflowers in Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Caerau to vegetables at the pavilion in Trelai Park. We’ve planted wild flowers near the CAER centre and made bird boxes with families at Diana Garden.

mentoring from the Egin programme, we have created an action plan to address some of the challenges of the space, such as the lack of electricity and water supply, ensuring the garden continues to grow as a model of urban regeneration, biodiversity, and local resilience. We are applying for Egin funding to take the next step in the development of the garden. The Egin programme is a Wales-wide initiative that supports and empowers community groups to take action on climate change and live more sustainably. The word "Egin" means "shoots" or "sprouts" in Welsh, reflecting the program's goal of helping new community ideas for climate action to generate and take root.

days and festivals over the summer.

A highlight for summer 2025 was our Diana Garden Family Fun day - 258 people attended! Together with partners we helped people enjoy pebble painting, leaf bunting, portraits, wild cooking, bird box making and planting. The new planters at CAER

Courtyard helped us bring together wood working volunteers at Dusty Shed, CAER garden volunteers and young children with their parents at ‘Flying Start’ to create accessible growing experiences for all ages. Our local ‘Green Spaces Network’ is a great source of ideas for where to plant next, and these connections continue to flourish.

154 community members have got involved in growing with our Postcode Gardener. We’ve worked with 19 groups, including Upfront Gardens CIC, Urban Long Forest, Coed Caerdydd, Sow the Sun, Love our Hillfort group, Diana Garden and CAER centre garden volunteers, Dusty Shed, Cardiff West Community High School, Grand Avenues, Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Caerau, Grow Cardiff and St. Vincent de Paul (SVP). Dozens of people have taken home hundreds of seeds in small pots through our ‘seed blitz’ activities at family fun

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Peace Garden

The Peace Garden began with an idea for a quiet space to remember ACE colleague Caroline Barr, and other loved ones who have passed away. We wanted to create a calm place for people to reflect and take time to look forward with hope. We now have a beautiful garden buzzing with life, which seems a positive space and a good fit for that purpose.

wildlife garden came to fruition in spring 2025. We opened the Peace garden officially in July, as part of the celebration of 10 years at the Dusty Forge.

We were supported in the development of the wildlife garden by a Keep Wales Tidy grant and they have supplied growing boxes, a pond, seating, bee friendly plants, shrubs and trees.

We were keen to make the space wheelchair friendly. This was made possible by the Probation Community Payback team and volunteers who constructed a solid path, giving access to the garden for all. The woodworking skills of John Naylor and The Dusty Shed members also provided a secure fence and gate to the Peace garden. Local community members who are keen to be custodians of the Peace garden will maintain the space alongside ACE staff.

The initial focus group met in October 2022, standing in an overgrown semi-wilderness. To say it was overwhelming was an understatement. However, ideas and plans were abundant, and with the hard work of the Diana Garden staff and volunteers, Charlotte, John and Tang, and strong partnerships with the Probation Community Payback team and Keep Wales Tidy, the

“Working with Steve at ACE on the Peace Garden project has been an absolute joy. To see a piece of waste ground turned into a thriving, peaceful haven has been truly inspiring. It’s now a place where nature is welcomed, wildlife can flourish, and people can find a moment of calm and quiet reflection. Watching that transformation take shape has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.

I’m so grateful to Steve and the amazing volunteers who put their energy, heart, and passion into making this vision a reality. I can’t wait to work with Steve again on future projects that bring even more positivity and beauty into our communities.”

David Foley

Keep Wales Tidy – Roving Officer for Cardiff

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"I am overall better, as things are much more positive compared to when I last went to the GP at the start of the year. I'm glad I'm back doing something with my days, it's relieving.”

“It makes such a difference to know someone is reaching out. They might not have all the answers but I feel listened to.”

Health and Wellbeing

“Thank you for just being there, it's refreshing to be able to speak to someone and just be able to get things off my chest which I find difficult to express to my family.”

Yourspace Wellbeing Support

Yourspace is a social prescribing and community development service, providing 1:1 wellbeing support and developing new community-led wellbeing activities. The service is commissioned by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and we work closely with local GP’s and health services to support people with a range of health, social and wellbeing needs. Referrals are seen promptly and wellbeing connectors offer a range of signposting options with an engaging personcentred approach.

The service started in South West Cardiff in 2019 and has supported 296 people in this area during 2024-25 to improve their wellbeing. Our development workers have been adept at developing a range of activities to meet needs, including events, outings and activities such as walking and support groups. A sample of 70 people completed a wellbeing scale, which showed 83% had improved their wellbeing.

In 2024-25 the Yourspace service in North Cardiff grew, following a smaller scale pilot in this area. With more Wellbeing Connectors and a Community Development Worker now on the North Cardiff team we have been able to provide direct support to 172 people during 2024-25, as well as setting up wellbeing groups including a walking group, men’s group and a

neurodiversity support group. A sample of 64 people completed a wellbeing scale, which showed 86% had improved their wellbeing.

During 2024-25 the service also expanded into West Cardiff, with a smaller service delivered by one parttime wellbeing connector and a part-time development worker. Following work to identify needs and local partnership opportunities, the team started a walking group, bereavement support group and financial wellbeing drop-in for the area; and provided direct support to 46 people. A sample of 9 people completed a wellbeing scale, which showed 78% had improved their wellbeing.

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A Day in the Life of a Wellbeing Connector

It's an early start this morning, as the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meeting begins at 8:30 am. The MDT is a crucial forum, organised by Cardiff North Primary Care Cluster, that brings together professionals such as GP's, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, and Independent Living Services. With patient permission, we use this virtual roundtable to discuss appropriate and holistic care plans. Our Wellbeing service is represented here, offering an ideal opportunity to better understand the roles and contributions of our fellow professionals.

Yourspace is allocated three new referrals today, with patient details securely delivered via an electronic database.

This is where our direct work begins. These three individuals will be contacted within the next three days, marking the start of their journey to improved wellbeing.

The Wellbeing Connector has three scheduled visits for the day.

Following the visits, it's back to the office for a quick sandwich, followed by typing up case notes and making any necessary follow-up calls. There are always messages and emails from colleagues to address. As the day draws to a close, there's a valuable opportunity to have a quick catch-up with other connectors, sharing insights and best practices.

Bereavement Support

ACE leads on a partnership project, funded by Welsh Government, to enhance bereavement support in Cardiff for people from ethnic minority communities and those with a learning disability, both groups that are less likely to access existing support. Our partners at Community Care and Wellbeing Service provide bereavement counselling, courses and support groups which are sensitive to people’s culture and faith and available in a range of languages. Our partners Cardiff People First have been active in setting up peer support groups and activities for people with a learning disability.

In 2024-25 the project provided bereavement counselling for 101 people and ran 14 bereavement

and mental health workshops, working with local faith centres and community organisations. Over 230 people attended courses, from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds including Pakistani, Somali, Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Egyptian, Arabic, Bengali, Palestinian, Sudanese, Italian and Welsh. The courses were successful in breaking down barriers and ‘taboo’ around discussing sensitive topics and have also resulted in the setting up of peer support groups where people could come together and support each other through grief. 34 local residents with a learning disability took part in peer support activities, providing informal and safe settings for them to talk about people they had lost and their feelings around a bereavement.

19 <2) peer a

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ACE Places
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We run two community centres and a wildlife garden. These vibrant and welcoming spaces host a range of activities to help people in financial crisis, provide holistic wellbeing support and social prescribing, help overcome barriers to learning and employment, make art, celebrate our local heritage, bring people together through cooking, growing and food, volunteering and much more! We also support a thriving network of community groups for all ages that promote mutual support and positive wellbeing.

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Our Place:
Dusty Forge
460 Cowbridge Rd West, Ely, Cardiff CF5 5BZ
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A place for help and support

At the heart of the building sits our ‘community living room’, a friendly, informal and flexible space with a constant supply of tea and coffee and the buzz of folk getting to know each other and hatching new plans and visions. The Dusty Forge acts as a base for a wide range of projects, groups and activities run by staff and local volunteers.

Practical Support

Our practical support includes Crisis Hour, ACE Benthyg community hire, Re-Store’s reuse and recycle hub, and the monthly Repair Cafe. We have a weekly ACE meal and a community fridge.

Health and wellbeing

A range of wellbeing and social groups and activities take place here, including our own ‘Yourspace’ service (page 18) as well as community-led groups.

Green space at the Dusty Forge

'Grow Well' is a therapeutic gardening project led by Grow Cardiff, sharing gardening skills. The Peace Garden is our memorial garden, a calm space to take time out, to reflect and have time to look forward with hope.

Room Hire at the Dusty Forge

The Dusty Forge offers a range of rooms for all your meetings and events needs. For further enquires: T: 029 20003132, or E: dusty@aceplace.org.

Also based at the Dusty Forge

Dusty Shed

The Dusty Shed aims to promote health and wellbeing by reducing the loneliness and isolation of individuals, particularly but not exclusively men aged 50+. Individuals can share, learn and socialise with each other in an inclusive environment. Visit www.thedustyshed.org.uk.

Repair Cafe

The Dusty's Repair Cafe runs monthly pop-up events offering a friendly free repair and re-use service supported by Repair Café Wales. Volunteer hosts and fixers welcome customers bringing broken items and share their skills on the spot. The repair cafe is every 4th Saturday, each month.

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CAER Heritage Church Rd, Caerau, Cardiff CF5 5LQ

Working with people to discover more about their local heritage

The CAER Heritage Centre on Church Road in Caerau is a hub for heritage activity and community learning, as well as hosting a number of community groups and activities.

The Caerau And Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project, launched in 2011, is a collaboration between ACE, Cardiff University, local schools, residents and community groups. Local people explore a rich landscape that includes an Iron Age hillfort, Neolithic causewayed enclosure and the medieval church of St Mary’s. They take part in archaeological excavations, historical research, artefact analysis, exhibitions, art, heritage trails, accredited courses and experimental archaeology.

What's On

Venue Hire

We have regular courses from Cardiff University, and other community activities and events.

Diana Garden Hiles Rd, Ely, Cardiff CF5 4JB

A Community Garden Where You Can Grow, Eat & Thrive Together

Diana Garden is a remarkable example of how local people can revive and re imagine public space. Once a derelict playground, the garden has been transformed into a thriving, green community hub - where people of all ages grow food, learn new skills, and connect with nature and one another.

Your Community Space

This isn't just about gardening. Diana Garden is a hub where you can:

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ACE Volunteers

Some of the volunteers have shared their positive experience(s) they have had while volunteering with ACE:

‘I had to reinvent my life and community, I did this by volunteering at ACE.’

‘I have been given many opportunities whilst volunteering with ACE one of which led to employment.’

‘Connecting with the community every week and getting to see the real difference that archaeology and heritage can make, invaluable to my enjoyment and pride in my degree.’

ACE has worked with over 80 volunteers, spread across 20 different areas of work at the Dusty Forge, CAER Heritage Centre, Diana Gardens and the Yourspace Team in Cardiff North. The volunteers are dedicated, supportive, passionate and determined to help improve the lives of people living in Caerau, Ely and the wider areas of Cardiff.

ACE would like to say a continued THANK YOU to all our volunteers for another year of incredible commitment, compassion and hard work. We currently have seven Lead Volunteers who provide extra support to staff in the running of the volunteer projects. Ten Volunteer Trustees sit on our ACE Board, providing strategic oversight of our activities.

This year the Volunteers and Project Leads have grown their projects and started new groups. ACE has showed appreciation and gratitude to them during both Student Volunteering Week and Volunteers Week, where all volunteers were invited to a series of celebration events and all received a personalised award, homemade with love gifts and a personalised pen.

This year the volunteers took part in the ACE volunteering survey where:

Volunteer Focus

This year ACE has focused on each volunteer's journey, making sure each volunteer is on the right path for them. With support from the Volunteer Development Officer and Project Leads, ACE can ensure the best volunteering opportunities and experiences.

Sarah from the Tuesday Lunch Club expresses how this method has supported her in reaching her goals for employment and community support.

ZY Qa iis community by making meals for them is very rewarding and living 42a© locally with young we Bs 3 om rs children has helped to connect me to the community where I live. Volunteering with the Utilising my skills and ACE lunch club has knowledge to produce enabled me to regain meals from food that my confidence in a would otherwise be working kitchen after a wasted has regained long break caring for my passion for food a disabled parent and and definitely propelled raising young children. me forward to rejoin I have since signed up the culinary workforce for culinary school and going forward ’. look forward to once Sarah Standring, again working in the Tuesday Lunch Club Lead Volunteer

Volunteering with the ACE lunch club has enabled me to regain my confidence in a working kitchen after a long break caring for a disabled parent and raising young children. I have since signed up for culinary school and look forward to once again working in the industry. Helping the

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ACE Arts

ACE Arts continued weekly workshops

throughout spring and summer of 2024, with an average of 10-12 participants per week. The groups worked on a piece commissioned by the Carer’s group, which was displayed

at their summer event. A series of art workshops hosted by Welsh National Opera were a great success. Participants created small models and characters which were displayed in the Dusty Forge art corridor.

ACE received Arts and Health Funding from Arts Council Wales for six months from Sept 2024 - March 2025, for a new partnership with Cardiff South West Primary Care Cluster, Yourspace and Chapter Arts centre and Disability Arts Cymru. Arts and Wellbeing sessions were held weekly at Chapter Arts Centre and the Dusty Forge. The ‘Creating SpACE’ project enabled us to work with patients from the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board cardiology department and community members during our regular art ee sessions.

artists, including one artist recommended by our partners at Disability Arts Cymru. The project was complimented so well by Yourspace Wellbeing Connectors, who supported sessions and sign-posted participants to the sessions.

The project culminated in a beautiful exhibition at Chapter Arts Centre, showcasing work created by participants. We invited our friends at Valleys Kids in Porth to join our celebratory exhibition, who brought 14 people to see the art work and celebrate ACE Arts.

In the last 6 months of ACE Arts, we hosted over 60 creative workshops and welcomed over 80 participants who attended regular activities, and over 200 during exhibitions and celebratory events such as our creative winter garden party and arts activities at our Dan Y Coed outdoor play sessions and summer festival event.

Despite valiant efforts, ACE was unable to secure ongoing funding for art projects, and we sadly closed ACE Arts in March 2025, after more than 9 years of regular art activities at the Dusty Forge. Our Artist in Residence, Nic Parsons, continues to work with ACE occasionally on a freelance basis and contributes to the success of our Dan y Coed project with young families. We continue to seek opportunities for our art workshop to be used to bring creative activities to our communities at the Dusty Forge.

During this time, ACE Arts hosted a therapeutic artist from the University of South Wales and 6 freelance and voluntary

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Shape your Future

Shape Your Future provides flexible 1:1 mentoring and small bursaries to help residents overcome barriers to work. In partnership with Cardiff Council’s Into Work Service, we’re tackling in-work poverty in Ely and Caerau. Support is tailored to each person’s goals - funding training, qualifications, equipment and costs that unlock better-paid, flexible and more meaningful work, including self-employment. Between April 2024 and March 2025, 144 residents received bursaries to gain qualifications or purchase essential tools to progress their careers.

K’s Pathway Back to Work

Overview

K’s journey back into construction shows what is possible when practical help and belief in someone come together. With focused mentoring, hands-on employment support and close employer liaison, K moved from uncertainty about his future into a skilled Telehandler role with Kier Construction, backed by a Blue CSCS Tradesman card.

Background

Referred by his Probation Officer through the Grand Avenues programme, K was working as a turkey farmer after time at Prescoed Prison. He knew his future was in construction, drawing on previous Lantra training and site experience.

Shape Your Future funding covered the cost of securing a birth certificate when ID barriers blocked progress. When Kier could not accept his Lantra qualification, we arranged an accredited course with Barry Training Services, which K passed with full marks. Medical clearance delays with his GP were overcome by booking an independent assessment and Fit for Work certificate. Regular contact with Kier’s Project Manager kept everyone focused on the end goal.

Outcomes

On 9 June 2025 K started as a Telehandler with Kier, with his Blue CSCS Tradesman card in hand and a clear route back into his chosen trade.

Tailored Support

We began with an honest conversation about K’s skills, confidence and goals, followed by a visit to Kier’s Fairwater site so he could picture himself back on site.

K’s story shows how joined-up, person-centred support can turn barriers into stepping stones, opening the door to a skilled job, renewed confidence and a genuine second chance.

Donna Hurley, Shape Your Future Lead:

The Shape Your Future Bursary has been a vital resource in offering rapid, flexible support in a non-stigmatising approach, focusing on exploring interests, identifying and developing skills, building confidence and employment progression. The Shape Your Future support model has also demonstrated the effectiveness of personalised mentoring in reducing reoffending and supporting reintegration.

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The ACE Way

ACE continues to share all that we’ve learnt from 14 years at the heart of Ely and Caerau through our ‘ACE Way’ training and mentoring programme. Relationships are being built with community organisations right across Wales leading to new opportunities to collaborate, share knowledge and influence government to better support communities. A few highlights from this year include:

Ely legends! Community workers from the last 50 years gather to reminisce in CAER Heritage Centre at the beginning of the ACE History project (from left to right: Dave Wyatt, Nigel Billingham, Eva Elliott, Barry Doughty, Lee Patterson, Gloria Yates, Mark Drakeford, Howard Williamson, John Winslade, Mel Witherden, John Rose and Dave Horton).

‘I have just gone through the business plan in full and I just want to say thank you for your work with us! I have learnt loads, I can see things a lot clearer and concise now too. I'm really grateful to you for the effort you've put in with us and I can't wait to start putting some of the plans we have set out in motion now and hopefully get the centre to where I know we can get it!’ - Caerau Development Trust, Bridgend.

‘I'd like to just get in touch to be able to say a massive thank you for the training, it was great and gave everyone a chance to really think about their practice and how we create a vision with community voice being central. We look forward to discussing the idea of connecting with communities across Wales and the community democracy idea.’ - Cwmni Bro Ffestiniog

The Cardiff CAN network on a visit to Cathays Community Centre (a CAN member).

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Sara’s Story Regaining Hope

(with ACE by my side)

of each other, so I don’t have to hide behind a mask. It’s early days yet, but already I feel a little happier. I'm enjoying getting to know different characters and some people in the group are becoming friends.”

“Before coming to ACE, I had lost hope, then the walk was the only thing I did”, said Sara. “The walking has improved my pain, and increased my mobility. I now take care of myself better. It is lovely to be able to wear clothes in my wardrobe for the first time in years.”

Sara, an accomplished artist, first linked in with Yourspace Social Prescribing at ACE in May 2025. Before this, she was struggling with pain from a previous injury, feeling lonely and isolated, and struggling to leave her house at all. Having left a violent relationship and experienced the death of her closest friends, her mental health deteriorated.

Eventually Sara explained her situation to her GP, saying “I’m struggling, not coping, feeling so lonely”. The GP made a referral to Yourspace, and within a few days Sara met Danielle, one of our Wellbeing Connectors, in a nearby cafe. Danielle suggested Sara join the Roath Park walking group that had been set up by Yourspace. Danielle picked up Sara and they joined the walk together for the first time. Sara said, “I wouldn’t have gone unless Danielle had given me a lift and joined in with the walk”.

“Also, ACE has also helped with hidden secrets. I’ve never spoken about the violence and all that before. It's been a good way to practice, gently, opening up, speaking my truth to the walking group with the support of ACE.”

Previously, Sara’s painting would sometimes be obsessive work, without sleeping or eating. “Now painting holds hope for me, my work has become lighter and more colourful”.

“Yourspace is an excellent service for people who feel isolated,” said Sara. “They are supportive, kind and very friendly. If you need support or clarity over anything, Connectors are there. The whole team is lovely. I feel I can tell them anything without feeling judged.”

The weekly walk is the highlight of Sara’s week. She has made friends with a fellow walker, who now gives her a lift. She has been to an art exhibition with another artist in the group, and they have plans to visit the Wales Millennium Centre together. Sara described the safety of the group:

“It’s nice to be in a group where everyone has issues. We listen to each other’s stories and are supportive

Painting by Sara Allwright. Top: 'Girding Waking Splinters'. Right: 'Spirits to Move'.

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Our impact in numbers

Advice and Support

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CAER Heritage
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ACE has supported 186 households through our drop in and
casework service. This resulted in a total of £987,000 additional 1423
income being received by community members through benefits
People
advice, grants, and crisis support.
£5,306.00
jes i, 1423 people visited the |e
archaeological dig in Trelai park
last summer. 430 volunteers
got their hands dirty at the dig,
helping discover our unique
heritage.
£987,000 That's an average of
total additional income received £5,306
by community members per household
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YourSpace Wellbeing Service

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514
People
aT ist
% XN 2
514 people accessed 1:1 support to
improve their wellbeing.
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Improved wellbeing

84%

A sample of 143 people completed a wellbeing scale, which showed 84% had improved their wellbeing.

Bereavement Support

ACE leads on a partnership project, funded by Welsh Government, to enhance bereavement support in Cardiff for people from ethnic minority communities and those with a learning disability.

101 In 2024-25 the project provided bereavement counselling for 101 People people.

230 people 34 local

from a range of residents diverse cultural backgrounds with a learning disability took part attended 14 in peer support bereavement and activities. mental health workshops.

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ACE Volunteers

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Shape Your Future ACE Volunteers
- in work progression
ACE worked
with over
9
Stay Leave
80
regular volunteers
who worked across 20 projects,
which had 7 Lead Volunteers.
f £ ACE Benthyg - Library of Things Kah AI)
144 People Number of times items
borrowed in 2024/25
have received mentoring and bursary
support to overcome barriers, moving 473
forward in work.
Work
Help
Courses
Advice
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114 increased income through
work progression or self-
people employment.
108 gained a qualification
through bursary support.
people
10 progressed within their
people existing role.
21 attended
people non-accredited training.
90
gained new employment.
people
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ACE Benthyg has seen a big jump in numbers of people borrowing items from our library - saving members money and helping the environment. Our numbers increased to 473, an increase of approximately 90% from the previous year.

Active Memberships (up from 400 last year)

600

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ACE Arts
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60
creative workshops
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80 participants took part in creative activities supporting wellbeing and mental health.

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Communities 14W¢ I/ 30

ACE Trustees

As of October 2025

Marian Dixey (Chair) lives in Fairwater. She is an active volunteer.

Mel Witherden is a retired third sector/charity consultant.

Oonagh Scott grew up in Ely. She is a successful business woman.

James Roach lives in Ely. He is an active volunteer and contributes finance skills. Chris Lannen is a qualified Financial Advisor. Leyton Smith lives in Caerau. He is an active local volunteer.

Eva Elliot is an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University School of Social Sciences. Janice Refalo lives in Caerau. She is an active local volunteer.

Omobonike Atobatele lives in Ely. She is an active volunteer and student. Carol Owen has 30 years of experience as a Senior Public Health professional with the NHS. Jessica Davies grew up in Ely and Caerau and is an active volunteer.

ACE Volunteers

Project Volunteer Afia Ali (Poppy)

Alice Clarke Andrew Williams Way Ann Thomas Auriol Miller Blanca Lidea Castro Salas Catherine Naamani Doris Lau Dylan Bond Em Collins Frances McCarthy Gareth Howells Gemma Carleton Glyn Everett Gillian Pugh Helen McCarthy Irene Jones Jeff Clarke Kyle Thomas Mary Cleaton Matthew Cunnah Michael Hack Patrick Barry Penny Owens Rhian Phillips Scott Bees Sian Davies Steve Lyons Suzanne McEwan

Tania Clarke Victoria Misell Wai Keung Tang

Student Volunteers

Nadia Aslam Jay Lloyd-Evans Sirui Li Hannah Huxley Kwan Yw Chow (Tony) Sophie Bell Dan Queally Joesph Daniel

Lead Volunteers

Diane Katy (Lead) Diane Matheson (Lead) Sarah Standring (Lead) Frankie Curtis (Lead) Janice Refalo (Lead) Kathleen Wolfe (Lead) Penny Smith (lead) Charlotte Ross (Lead)

Trustees

Mel Witherden James Roach Oonagh Scott Marian Dixey Leyton Smith

Janice Refalo

Eva Elliot

Omobonike Atobatele Jessica Davies Carol Owen

Many thanks to previous volunteers who supported us in 2024-25

John Naylor Robert White Jack Wyatt Christina Dunn Doug Smith Doug Stowell Scott Morgan Danny Westcott Jessica Rudd Helen Green Derek Cleaver George Stunderland Chez Allen Frances McCarthy Liubov Yurtsuniak Benjamin Wainwright Kyle Bebb Natasha Hayes Jacquie Young Caroline Woodman

Community members volunteering on the CAER Big Dig

Malcolm Thomas Megan O'Brien Marianne Piper Claire Newbery Cathy Nowell John O Sullivan Sharon Parry Anne Jones Andy Evans Kim Iannucci Anthony Morgan Lynn Glaister Alexander Franklin Alison Jenkinson Sara Shiel Jessica Hughes Ellen Perry Kirsten Mcternan Mike Hellyar Richard Shearman Euryn Davies

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ACE Staff

As of October 2025

Core

Michelle Powell ACE Director Dave Horton ACE Learning and Training Director Hazel Cryer Operational Development Manager – Health Portfolio Sam Froud-Powell Operational Development Manager – Community Support Portfolio Julie Evans HR & Admin Coordinator Hasan Roap ACE Finance Officer George Keane Communications and Web Content Officer / Dusty Shed Officer Dale Ovenstone Estates Officer Sharon McGrath ACE Receptionist Julie McDowell ACE Receptionist Maria Ross Assistant Administrator Taela-Mae Davies Volunteer Development Officer

Health

Ann Bailey

Community Health Development Worker

Clare Westcott

Wellbeing Connector Danielle Afferion Young People’s Wellbeing Connector / Wellbeing Connector Ginny Brink Wellbeing Connector Marged Ioan Wellbeing Connector Mags Lyons Service Coordinator Wellbeing Support Louise Gray Service Coordinator Community Development Sam Deere Community Health Development Worker Scott Bees Community Health Development Worker Sabrina Driscoll Wellbeing Connector Sophia Farrugia Wellbeing Connector Robert Jones Yourspace Monitoring and Admin Assistant

Susan Beese

Community Support

Nerys Sheehan

Community Support Coordinator / Grand Avenues Coordinator Stacie Leek Hafan Project Development Officer Megan O’Brien Community Support Admin Assistant

Heritage and Environment

Lois Atkinson

Caer Centre Development Officer Steve Lyons Diana Garden Development Officer Becky Matyus ACE Partnerships Coordinator Rob Fuller Postcode Gardener / Community Health Development Worker

Thanks to the former ACE Staff who have moved on in the last year:

Chris Farr Eileen Ellis Holly Findlay Rachel Hart Jamie Hallett Ruth Mumford Nicola Parsons Hannah Bees

Wellbeing Connector Suki Shinto Wellbeing Connector

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Financial Report

ACE received a total income of £1,202,518 in the 2024 - 25 financial year. Income was generated primarily through charitable activities (£1,076,525), supported by £106,334 of self-generated trading income through social enterprise, rental, consultancy and training activities, and £9,569 in donations and investment income. Total expenditure for the year was £1,365,052, with £1,309,391 spent directly on charitable activities. Funding during 2024 - 25 supported 54 projects, maintaining a similar level of delivery to the previous year.

Some of the biggest projects delivered this year included the Yourspace project (£383,453) and Shape Your Future (£50,000), alongside a wide range of community, wellbeing, family and engagement programmes.

Over the last 14 years, ACE has contributed more than £14 million to the local economy. From 2018 - 25, income generated through direct ACE activities - including social enterprise, grant funding, contracts, fundraising, donations and legacies - totals approximately £9.4 million

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Funders and partners

ACE Funders

Cardiff West Primary Care Cluster

ACE Partners

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Cardiff North
Primary Care Cluster
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Action in Caerau and Ely

Our Place: Dusty Forge 460 Cowbridge Rd West, Ely Cardiff CF5 5BZ Tel: 029 2000 3132

info@aceplace.org www.aceplace.org ACE - Action in Caerau and Ely actionincaerauandely

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