Annual General Meeting for year ending 31[st] March 2025
Contents
Members of the Board
Minutes of AGM held 17[th] June 2025
Members of the Board
Registered charity name
Talking SENse!
Charity number
1151366
Registered address
75 Westbrook Avenue Aldridge Walsall WS9 0BZ
Trustees
Mrs Sylvia Stanway (Chair) Mr Elliot Garbett (Secretary) Sarah Stanway (Treasurer) Mrs Jane Moore Mrs Jo Yarnall Mrs Mary Adamson Mr Ken Upton
Talking SENse! 75 Westbrook Avenue, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0BZ Charity No. 1151366 WhatsApp: 07457 403 454 Email: enquiries@talking-sense.org Website: http://talking-sense.org
Annual General Meeting
Minutes of the ninth Annual General Meeting of 17[th] June 2025
Contact: Elliot Garbett, Secretary to the Committee 07928 306735 elliotgarbett@outlook.com
| Present: | Sylvia Stanway, Chair | Ken Upton |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Moore | Rachel Swingler | |
| Apologies: | Elliot Garbett, Secretary | Jo Yarnall |
Item 1: Chair’s Opening Remarks:
- 1.1 Sylvia opened the meeting at 7.01pm by welcoming those present and declaring the meeting as quorate.
Item 2: Approval of the Minutes of the last AGM and Matters Arising:
- 2.1 The minutes of the AGM held 28[th] April 2024 were read and approved as being accurate. There were no matters arising.
Proposed: Sylvia Stanway Seconded: Jane Moore
Item 3: Reports and Accounts:
- 3.1 Treasurer’s report was circulated ahead of the meeting. For reasons relating to illness, Deborah prepared the treasurer’s report on Sarah’s behalf. While there were no matters arising from the treasurer’s report, it was agreed to accept it, and trustees invited to contact Deborah with any questions they may have.
Proposed: Sylvia Stanway Seconded: Jane Moore
-
3.2 Sylvia’s report was circulated ahead of the meeting. There were no matters arising.
-
3.3 The tribunal activity report was circulated ahead of the meeting. There were no matters arising.
Talking SENse! 75 Westbrook Avenue, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0BZ Charity No. 1151366 WhatsApp: 07457 403 454 Email: enquiries@talking-sense.org Website: http://talking-sense.org
Item 4: Appointment of Charity Trustees:
- 4.1 The following trustees were re-elected as Officers of the Board, having stood down, been nominated, seconded, and agreed by majority vote:
| Trustee | Position | Nominated | Seconded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvia Stanway | Chair | Jane Moore | Ken Upton |
| Elliot Garbett | Secretary | Sylvia Stanway | Jane Moore |
-
4.2 For reasons relating to illness, Sarah has not been an active officer/trustee for two years. It was agreed that the charity would write to Sarah to give her the opportunity to resume her role or resign.
-
4.3 The following trustees were re-elected as trustees, having stood down, been nominated, seconded, and agreed by majority vote:
| Trustee | Nominated | Seconded |
|---|---|---|
| Ken Upton | Sylvia Stanway | Jane Moore |
| Jo Yarnall | Sylvia Stanway | Jane Moore |
| Jane Moore | Ken Upton | Sylvia Stanway |
-
4.4 Mary Adamson has decided to resign from the Board with immediate effect as her son is no longer in education.
-
4.5 The following trustee was elected as a trustee having been nominated, seconded, and agreed by majority vote:
| Trustee | Nominated | Seconded |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel Swingler | Ken Upton | Sylvia Stanway |
Item 5: Any Other Business/Matters Raised During the Meeting
-
5.1 Ken to check the Charity Commission’s guidance in relation to the type of accounts/record keeping to be maintained given the increase in the Charity’s income this year.
-
5.2 A discussion ensued relating to the strategies employed by Ken and Rachel to ensure they protected their own emotional wellbeing to avoid burnout.
-
5.3 Sylvia reiterated her praise upon Grace for the work she does in supporting Ken and Rachel with EHCP Checks, working documents, and other tribunal administrative tasks. Rachel shared news about Grace being a huge help when Ken was on leave as she was able to access his inbox, share information with Rachel, and avoid a distressing situation which a parent was experiencing becoming even more distressing.
Talking SENse! 75 Westbrook Avenue, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0BZ Charity No. 1151366 WhatsApp: 07457 403 454 Email: enquiries@talking-sense.org Website: http://talking-sense.org
-
5.4 Ken agreed to discuss the option of Grace joining the Board as a trustee with her.
-
5.5 Sylvia shared the news that anonymous posts on social media had been read and which appeared to criticise Talking SENse! The Charity had subsequently reviewed and updated its T&Cs and practices to ensure it remains transparent and fair.
-
5.6 Sylvia suggested the advocates add an automated email response to their mailbox to reassure parents that their email had been received and would be replied to within a specific time frame.
-
5.7 There being no other business the meeting closed at 7.45pm.
Talking SENse! 75 Westbrook Avenue, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0BZ Charity No. 1151366 WhatsApp: 07457 403 454 Email: enquiries@talking-sense.org Website: http://talking-sense.org
Trial Balance
| Reportdate 16-Jun-25 Talking SENse! 2024-25 Trial balance |
Reportdate 16-Jun-25 Talking SENse! 2024-25 Trial balance |
Reportdate 16-Jun-25 Talking SENse! 2024-25 Trial balance |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reconcile bank transactions to date and enter closing balance below |
£s | £s | |||
| Governance Professional fees Operating leases Office costs inc phone & web IT equipment Training Expenses Publishing Social events CPD Sub total Cash at the bank Petty cash in hand Sub total |
£160.00 £144,355.72 £14,518.54 £585.86 £1,072.80 £4,650.77 £358.00 £54.00 |
Carried from previous accounts year Total funds bought forward £45,851.08 Representation EHCP Check Advocacy Workshops Donations Grants Social events Petty cash B/fwd from previousy Sub total £45,851.08 Income / receipts current accounting year Total funds bought forward Representation £125,017.50 EHCP Check £15,792.50 Advocacy £6,796.35 Workshops £147.04 Donations £1,793.23 Grants Social events £144.00 Income received into petty cash Sub total £149,690.62 |
year £45,851.08 y |
||
£45,851.08 |
|||||
£165,755.69 |
|||||
| £29,786.01 | |||||
£29,786.01 |
£149,690.62 |
||||
| Current Bank balance | |||||
| £29,786.01 | |||||
| Balance - mismatch | |||||
| Left column | Right column | Totals | £195,541.70 | Totals | £195,541.70 |
| -£0.00 | £0.00 |
----- Start of picture text -----
Balanced Account
----- End of picture text -----
Summary information of cleared Expenditure and Income payments this financial year
| Expenditure payment methods BACS Cheques Fund transfer out Debit cards Direct debit Petty cash payments Standing orders Cash back transactions Totals Petty cash drawn all methods Petty cash balance |
165,755.69 £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ |
Income payment methods BACS Cheques Cash payments Standing orders Bankers drafts Loans Totals Money movement between fund Fund Transfer In + Fund Transfer Out - |
149,690.62 £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 165,755.69 £ |
149,690.62 £ |
||
| - £ - £ |
s | ||
| - £ |
|||
| - £ |
Trial Balance
| Reportdate 16-Jun-25 Talking SENse! 2024-25 Trial balance |
Reportdate 16-Jun-25 Talking SENse! 2024-25 Trial balance |
Reportdate 16-Jun-25 Talking SENse! 2024-25 Trial balance |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reconcile bank transactions to date and enter closing balance below |
£s | £s | |||
| Governance Professional fees Operating leases Office costs inc phone & web IT equipment Training Expenses Publishing Social events CPD Sub total Cash at the bank Petty cash in hand Sub total |
£160.00 £144,355.72 £14,518.54 £585.86 £1,072.80 £4,650.77 £358.00 £54.00 |
Carried from previous accounts year Total funds bought forward £45,851.08 Representation EHCP Check Advocacy Workshops Donations Grants Social events Petty cash B/fwd from previousy Sub total £45,851.08 Income / receipts current accounting year Total funds bought forward Representation £125,017.50 EHCP Check £15,792.50 Advocacy £6,796.35 Workshops £147.04 Donations £1,793.23 Grants Social events £144.00 Income received into petty cash Sub total £149,690.62 |
year £45,851.08 y |
||
£45,851.08 |
|||||
£165,755.69 |
|||||
| £29,786.01 | |||||
£29,786.01 |
£149,690.62 |
||||
| Current Bank balance | |||||
| £29,786.01 | |||||
| Balance - mismatch | |||||
| Left column | Right column | Totals | £195,541.70 | Totals | £195,541.70 |
| -£0.00 | £0.00 |
----- Start of picture text -----
Balanced Account
----- End of picture text -----
Summary information of cleared Expenditure and Income payments this financial year
| Expenditure payment methods BACS Cheques Fund transfer out Debit cards Direct debit Petty cash payments Standing orders Cash back transactions Totals Petty cash drawn all methods Petty cash balance |
165,755.69 £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ |
Income payment methods BACS Cheques Cash payments Standing orders Bankers drafts Loans Totals Money movement between fund Fund Transfer In + Fund Transfer Out - |
149,690.62 £ - £ - £ - £ - £ - £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 165,755.69 £ |
149,690.62 £ |
||
| - £ - £ |
s | ||
| - £ |
|||
| - £ |