Hartlepool
Q Foodbank
Together with Trussell
Annual Report
2025
Annual Report 2025
## Contents
Letter from the Chair .............................................................................................................. 3 Coordinator’s Report ............................................................................................................. 6 Local Organiser’s Report ...................................................................................................... 10 Financial Report 2025 .......................................................................................................... 13 Appendix I – Notes to the Accounts ....................................................................................... 16 Appendix II – Registration details .......................................................................................... 18 Appendix III – Member churches ........................................................................................... 19 Appendix IV – Examiners Report ............................................................................................ 20
P a g e 2 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Letter from the Chair
One of the highlights of 2025 was a trip to the Palace of Westminster in June, with our coordinator Lisa Lavender and our community influencer/organizer Tracey Cartwright, to take part in a national Trussell “Lobby Day”. Our MP, Jonathan Brash, met us and showed us round the Houses of Parliament and, much more importantly, listened to what we told him and subsequently joined other Labour backbenches in opposing what the Government was proposing to do, reducing the level of benefits to some of the most vulnerable in our society. Following the “Guarantee our essentials” campaign a number of important changes were made, including retracting the “two child limit” to Universal Credit. This means that, from April 2026, not only will the level of child poverty be reduced in Hartlepool but also the numbers of people and families needing to come to the foodbank for emergency food relief, should start to reduce.
Only towards the end of the year was there a possible indication that these numbers are starting to reduce. Generally this year, demand has been at levels that were unprecedented in the earlier years of our operation – despite data from our partnership with West View Advice and Resources, giving financial advice to our clients, demonstrating how effective that programme has been at lifting people and families out of near-destitution. This evidence led to us giving high priority to continuing to support this project, providing 50% funding for a fourth year.
As well as _Guarantee our Essentials_ , Tracey Cartwright has contributed massively to our presence in Hartlepool’s networks including the Poverty Strategy Group, informed by the _Poverty Truth Commission,_ and the _Zarach_ project, providing beds and more for families not able to afford separate beds for their children. Her contribution to this Annual Report gives more details. Many thanks are due to Tracey for her work, that has gathered momentum as it has continued. Her post has been fully funded by Trussell until the end of March 2026 but we don’t have the financial resources to continue to support it after that. We hope to continue contributing to essential anti-poverty work in Hartlepool and nationally, in partnership with Trussell, with trustees supporting Lisa and her team. We also hope that Tracey will continue to be involved with our work in a voluntary capacity.
Since the inception of the Foodbank in 2012, I have been impressed with the generosity of the individuals, churches, businesses, unions, public bodies, philanthropic trusts and others that have supported us financially. The financial report gives more details. I am deeply grateful for all who contribute to our work, especially those who have made a financial commitment to us over a number of years. We have a robust funding base of around 50% of our core needs. Historically the other 50% has been made up by applying for grants from other charities and trusts. However, since the pandemic, this funding has been more difficult to obtain in the face of more competition from other
P a g e 3 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
organizations. As we have also been having to spend significant sums of money buying food to give to clients, this means we have a funding gap that must be addressed to ensure we can continue to provide emergency food relief, hospitality and signposting advice to our clients in the longer term. To this end we are applying for a grant from Trussell that would enable us to employ a fundraiser. Twice, our warehouse assistant has resigned in the last 12 months, so we have decided not to fill this post, but provide additional resources for Lisa and her deputy Hilary Sowden and rely on volunteers for the van driving and heavy lifting that maintain the flow of food to our clients. I acknowledge the work of Jayne Gray and Phil Thompson, both of whom contributed to our operation.
In 2026 we hope to strengthen and renew our links with churches, schools, retail outlets and other organizations that collect food for us, including _Church Ambassadors_ , a scheme to embed our work more deeply within our member churches. We have always worked in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, delivering food aid with funding from the _Household Support Fund_ , and hope to be able to continue to do the same from the _Crisis Resilience Fund_ that will replace it from April 2026.
Thanks go to all the individuals and organizations that contribute to our effort, including Embleton Hall Dairy who supply us with fresh milk for our clients; Tesco and ASDA, Trussell’s national funding partners that also give us food collection opportunities; and the owners of Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, who provide our warehouse rent free. We are excited to work in partnership with the Community Store established at Oxford Road Baptist Church to help clients out of food insecurity.
Among individuals deserving thanks are Mrs Josie Watson who continues to let us use 28 Church Street as our Headquarters rent-free; Clive Rathbone our _pro bono_ auditor; Alison Deer who cleans our premises free of charge (equivalent to a very generous financial donation); and my fellow trustees Susan Atkinson, who has continued to support funding applications; Linn Eklund, who acts as our secretary; Alan Macdonald, who brings energy and commitment and especially Angela Carrick our treasurer who continues to provide accounting and payroll services without payment. Over the last 18 months I am delighted that the Board of Trustees has been strengthened with the addition of two exceptional individuals: John Harvey, who has already made his mark supporting us in social media and funding; and, more recently, Shane Moore. Both bring skills and experience that are invaluable to the foodbank as we adapt for the future.
Lisa and Hilary keep the show on the road, leading our operations with passion, commitment and common sense. Massive thanks go to them, and to our corps of volunteers without whom we would not be able to do anything to help those who come to us in need.
From the Bible, the letter of James: “What good is it I, my friends, for someone to say he has faith, when his actions do nothing to show it? Can that faith save him? Suppose a
P a g e 4 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
brother or sister is in rags with not enough food for the day, and one of you says: ‘goodbye, keep warm, and have a good meal’, but does nothing to supply their bodily needs, what good is that? So, with faith: if it does not lead to action, it is by itself a lifeless action”.
Our foodbank is an act of our faith, and we thank God for the opportunity to put it into practice, to the benefit of all those experiencing adversity in our town.
Yours sincerely,
Rev’d Dr Andrew Craig, Chair of Trustees
P a g e 5 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Coordinator’s Report
## **Summary**
Another great year with our reliable and trusty volunteers!
As we turn into 2026, I would like to mention our long-standing volunteers. There are some that have been with the foodbank right from the word go. At least 9 (including 2 of our trustees) of our 40 volunteers have been serving the foodbank since December 2012 (and the beginning of 2013) when we first opened. This is an amazing commitment to the foodbank. Each and every one of the foodbank volunteers are incredible and between them hold many years of service. They are dedicated, loyal and faithful to the community of Hartlepool and strive to do their best for those who need to use the foodbank. We have 2 wonderful teams who are spread between the warehouse and our distribution centre at Church Street. Each one playing to their strength for the good of the community. Their value is beyond measure.
Over the last few years, we have seen the cost of food rise significantly, this has impacted on donations but nevertheless the community have still been generous is their giving. Over the course of 2025 we have processed 63.5 tonnes of food and given out just under 58 tonnes. Our warehouse volunteers have weighed, sorted, lifted, recorded, packed, delivered twice weekly to Church Street, collected from the supermarkets, schools and churches to mention a few. The Church Street Team continue to listen to stories, clean, pack, signpost and help wherever they can. We are also grateful for our corporate volunteers from local agencies and businesses; Kerry Foods, Trust Alliance Group, Virgin Media, START and Utilita. We look forward to our continuing relationship as we move into 2026.
Each of our Trustees are also volunteers. They are fully committed to the running of the foodbank, taking care of the staff and governance of the foodbank.
I would like to honour each one of our incredible volunteers including our Trustees for all their hard work and commitment throughout 2025.
## **Thank you, Amazing Volunteers!**
In June of 2025 we welcomed our 4[th] member of staff Phil – Phil has been with us for 6 months but now feels it is time to move on. We want to wish Phil all the best in the future and thank him for being part of the foodbank team and his hard work maintaining the warehouse.
Thank you, Phil.
Our partnership with West View Advice & Resource Centre continues again as we move into 2026. This partnership has been such an asset to the foodbank and the community of Hartlepool; giving on site financial advice.
P a g e 6 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
The role of our Operational Local Mobiliser will be coming to an end in March. Over the last 3 years Tracey has been involved in campaigns, building relationships, being out and about the community of Hartlepool, attended events across the town promoting the work of the foodbank within the network of Trussell. Please see Tracey’s final report for more detail of what she has been doing. Thank you, Tracey, for being part of the Team over these last 3 years.
My continued thanks to Hilary Sowden who continues to do a fabulous job as Deputy Coordinator.
## **Highlights of 2025**
Some highlights of 2025 include: A trip to the Houses of Parliament as part of a national campaign run by Trussell. Back in June we lobbied parliament along with many other foodbanks across the national network. This was an incredible day with our local MP, Jonathan Brash, taking time out of his schedule, to listen about our concerns for the people needing to use the foodbank and giving us an amazing tour. Thank you, Jonathan.
A wonderful visit to St Hild’s Secondary School to sit and chat with some of the students about the work that the foodbank does and how they could support us. A small group of students organised a collection which they dropped off at the foodbank along with their teacher Mrs Murray.
## **Thank you St Hild’s for thinking and choosing the foodbank to support** .
Another exciting venue for us was the Northern Film Studio – a huge donation of stock was received from them when they were dismantling a fictional supermarket. Not only was it lovely to receive the donation but also to meet the team and the producer. It was exciting to hear about what had recently been filmed in the studio. Thank you, Northern Film Studio.
And finally, we welcome a new Trustee to the board. All Trustees are volunteers and do a tremendous job overseeing the running of the foodbank. They come with varying gifts and skills. It is always a pleasure to have a new face on the team.
Thank you, Shane, for joining us.
## **Donations and distributions**
During 2025 Hartlepool Foodbank volunteers processed 2901 vouchers (3% reduction on 2024) which equates to 5053 food parcels (9% reduction on 2024). A total of 52.5 tonnes of food was given out in 2025.
The local community of Hartlepool continue to be generous in giving; our donations for 2025 were an amazing 22 tonnes, in terms of monetary value this weight would be in the region of £60K, which is outstanding. These donations were received from an eclectic
P a g e 7 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
mix of schools, supermarkets, churches, individuals, companies and community groups.
We are grateful to each and every donation that comes into the foodbank both in food and cash donations. These are but a few to mention. All have been amazingly generous.
- The 1 o’clock Lunch Club
- McDonalds staff and customers
- Flow Tag
- Hart Biologicals
## **Thank you, Generous Community of Hartlepool**
## **Supermarket Collections**
Our continued gratitude to the fabulous stores in Hartlepool for holding a permanent collection basket for the foodbank.
Tesco Hartlepool Extra – 6748 kg
Asda – 3589 kg
Morrisons – 2841kg
Sainsbury – 344kg
## **Financial Inclusion**
We have the privilege of providing financial advice for another year, through our longterm partnership with West View Advice & Resource Centre. The fourth year has been partly funded by Trussell and a number of grants (see appendix 1 for details). This has been a huge success for the foodbank. We look forward to another positive year. Please see below from our Financial Inclusions Manager at Trussell, Michelle Llewellyn;
As the Holistic Advice Manager, I am constantly inspired by the impact of Hartlepool foodbanks FI project. West View Advice and Resource Centre play a pivotal role alongside the foodbank. Their service goes beyond food provision, offering face-toface guidance on debt, benefits, housing, employment, and energy — removing the transactional approach and providing hope, dignity, and real solutions.
At their last annual review, over £1 million was secured through financial gains or debts managed, 71% of people no longer needed emergency food after they received advice, and four households were prevented from homelessness — transforming lives and strengthening your community.
Foodbank volunteers are at the heart of this work, ensuring that people in crisis can access timely, practical advice and support. Their care and dedication help address
P a g e 8 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
the root causes of hardship, reflecting both the foodbank’s and Trussell’s values, and supporting the 2025–2030 strategy to end the need for foodbanks.
## **Household Support Fund**
Our huge thanks to our local authority for the continued support with this funding. Without this contribution over the last few years the foodbank would have struggled greatly to cover the demand for food. We are looking forward to working with the Welfare Support Team to strengthen support and help prevent the need for the foodbank.
## **Social Media**
We will be seeing a new look to our Facebook page again this year. This is due to a Trustee now taking over the role. We are now also up and running on Instagram.
We give our huge thanks to Gabriel – our volunteer, who has been keeping our Facebook page updated over the last year.
## **Looking to the future**
Our work will continue with Trussell; hoping to end the need for foodbanks. As we move into this new year, we shall be looking at our structure and how we can best support those who need us. We shall continue to work with our partners delivering wrap around care.
We are here for anyone who may need us. Our desire is to give a helping hand up out of circumstances.
Lisa Lavender
Project Coordinator, Hartlepool Foodbank
P a g e 9 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Local Organiser’s Report
As my time as a local organiser/mobiliser draws to a close. I would like to reflect on my final year, in relation to my three years in this role.
The Together for Change strategic plan for 2020 to 2025 was an ambitious vision, a UK without the need for food banks. To address the issues forcing people to use food banks, the OLM role was created. I prioritised the following three areas of work.
## **Changing Communities**
The plan was to help food banks to reduce need locally and create campaigns to help communities. Following a close working relationship with bed poverty charity Zarach in 2023 and a successful campaign on maximising income in 2024. I decided this year to focus on raising awareness for claiming Child Benefit. HMRC, who are responsible for paying Child Benefit, state on their website that Child Benefit claims are at the "lowest level since HMRC began producing stats in 2003" proving families across the UK are missing out. Figures obtained from Hartlepool Borough Council showed that over 1000 households in Hartlepool were missing out on almost £1.5 million Child Benefit per year.
I was part of a working group to produce a myth busting document about Child Benefit eligibility. The document was funded from the OLM budget and printed in The Hartlepool Life. I was able to secure 1000 leaflets (free of charge) from Hartlepool Borough Council to support this campaign. We continue to use these leaflets in the foodbank and they have been distributed to partner organisations throughout the town.
Due to my networking relationship with Senior Officers from Hartlepool Borough Council, they agreed to help raise awareness by enclosing a Child Benefit leaflet when sending letters to Hartlepool families, advising them of changes to Childcare provision and free school meal eligibility.
The manager of the Baby Bank in Hartlepool also requested and received a digital copy of the Child Benefit campaign without it being specific to Hartlepool. She is the Senior Community Lead for the Baby Bank Alliance and was keen to share this information nationwide.
The Development Manager for Child and Adult Services at Hartlepool Borough Council also asked if she could share the information on the “Hartlepool Now” website, to which I readily agreed.
Early evidence from West View Advice & Resource Centre stats are that the Child Benefit awareness campaign has been successful. Deputy Manager Katherine Parker gave the following update on the Child Benefit work:
The Hartlepool Life Child Benefit article has now been completed and published.
P a g e 10 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
WVARC reported a 400% increase in Child Benefit enquiries for the same period last year with a 4% increase in entitlement to Child Benefit being identified.
Child Benefit Communications will continue through Social Media promotion and leaflet distribution.
Figures from Hartlepool Citizens Advice and Advice at Hart are being chased up to give us a true reflection of the impact of the campaign, which included a call to action to these organisations.
## **Changing Policy**
I have campaigned nationally to support the Guarantee Our Essentials campaign, and in responding to wider welfare cuts. I have sent letters to senior government officials, shared evidence with and spoken to our MP Jonathan Brash and his team on numerous occasions. The highlight for me was arranging a visit to Westminster in June 2025 and speaking honestly and frankly with Jonathan. It’s made a difference, and I’m proud of what has been achieved when working with so many fantastic people and organisations. I attended the first Hartlepool MP “Community Conversation” event and asked the question “Can you assure me that you will use your voice to call for the twochild limit to be lifted in full” ahead of the Autumn budget.
The response was amazing with the Government's decision to scrap the two-child limit. This is a moment to celebrate success and recognise progress; it’s testament to the hard work and long-term campaigning of many organisations in my network. 1,110 households in Hartlepool are affected by the 2 Child Limit on Universal Credit. The economic benefit of scrapping the 2 Child Limit will put £3,900,540 into Hartlepool family’s pockets and the local community.
## **Changing Minds**
We've also seen some encouraging impact for the Guarantee our Essentials campaign over the past few months:
- The Tribune Group motion backed our call for a Protected Minimum Floor in Universal Credit ahead of the Autumn budget, with a motion signed by more than 80 MPs
- Ministers including Rachel Reeves and Pat McFadden have been using language that reflects our campaign messages in recent evidence sessions to Parliamentary Select Committees, including recognising the wider costs of poverty to public services.
In my final months as OLM, I will be monitoring key political events in relation to welfare benefits, community and foodbanks. I will make the most of any political moments that open opportunities to influence. I am also helping to facilitate the “Our Journey to Date” Poverty Truth Commission event. I have been involved in the Poverty Truth Commission
P a g e 11 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
from the outset and look forward to celebrating achievements and success stories at the event in March 2026.
During my time as a Local Organiser, I have maintained and established new relationships with people who have a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for change. I have produced a list of useful contacts, keen to continue the work in reducing the need for food banks and will leave this with Hartlepool Foodbank. It would be fantastic if these relationships could continue to flourish and for more individuals and families to be lifted out of food poverty.
Tracey Cartwright, Local Organiser
P a g e 12 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Financial Report 2025
The accounts are unaudited. The independent examiner's report on the 2024 accounts is given in Appendix IV (the 2025 accounts will be examined later in the year).
Many thanks are due to our independent examiner, Clive Rathbone, for contributing to the work of the foodbank by carrying out the independent examination of the accounts without payment.
## **Income 2025**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total funds**|**2026 budget**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Note**|||||
|||**funds £**|**funds £**|**£**|**£**|
|||||||
|Private donations||26,154.29|
3,765.23|
29,919.52|
_23,000.00_|
|Church donations||2,071.00|
0.00|
2,071.00|
_1,550.00_|
|Corporate donations|1|11,265.05|
0.00|
11,265.05|
_10,175.00_|
|Grant funding|1|20,432.05|
114,787.00|
135,219.05|
_80,000.00_|
|Gift aid tax recovered||2,716.07|
0.00|
2,716.07|
_3,000.00_|
|Bank Interest||3,274.36|
60.50|
3,334.86|
_3,000.00_|
|**Total receipts**||
65,912.82|
118,612.73|
184,525.55|
_120,725.00_|
## **Expenditure 2025**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total funds**|**2026 budget**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Note**|||||
|||**funds £**|**funds £**|**£**|**£**|
|||||||
|**_Premises_**||||||
|Premises maintenance,||||||
|repairs & alterations||2,154.76|
0.00|
2,154.76|
_2,220.00_|
|Premises insurances &||||||
|rates||2,216.15|
0.00|
2,216.15|
_2,300.00_|
|Utilities||2,809.81|
0.00|
2,809.51|
_2,760.00_|
|||||||
|**_Running Expenses_**||||||
|Subscriptions||207.00|
37,965.75|
38,172.75|
_29,746.00_|
|Telephone & Broadband||973.16|
141.04|
1,114.20|
_1,100.00_|
|Office Supplies||4,539.24|
0.00|
4,539.24|
_5,000.00_|
|Food Purchases||16,315.79|
51,657.60|
67,973.39|
_70,000.00_|
|Transport||3,242.26|
0.00|
3,242.26|
_3,500.00_|
|Depreciation||0.00|
0.00|
0.00|
_0.00_|
|||||||
|**_Volunteers_**||||||
|Volunteers & Training||0.00|
0.00|
0.00|
_500.00_|
|Hospitality|2|672.12|
0.00|
672.12|
_700.00_|
|||||||
|Employee Costs Including||||||
|
Honorarium M Fulton||59,168.93|
34,930.92|
94,099.85|
_72,000.00_|
|OLM Expenses||0.00|
2,567.97|
2,567.97|
_2,000.00_|
|||||||
|**Totalpayments**||
92,299.22|
127,263.28|
219,562.50|
_191,826.00_|
P a g e 13 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## **Balance Sheet as at 31/12/2025**
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Notes**|**£**|**£**|
|||||
|**_Assets_**||||
|||||
|Fixed assets||**0.00**|
**0.00**|
|||||
|Current assets||||
|Foodbank a/c||**31,252.99**|
**35,704.58**|
|Virgin Money Deposit||**49,219.28**|
**74,419.67**|
|Virgin Money Current||**10.00**|
**10.00**|
|Cambridge Fixed Rate Bond||**35,000.00**|
**50,000.00**|
|||||
|Debtors||**0.00**|
**0.00**|
|||||
|**Total Assets**||
**115,482.27**|
**160,134.25**|
|||||
|||||
|**_Liabilities_**||||
|||||
|Creditors (falling due within 1 year)|3|**1,179.09**|
**10,794.12**|
|||||
|**Total Liabilities**||
**1,179.09**|
**10,794.12**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|Net current assets||||
|||**114,303.18**|
**149,340.13**|
|(Total assets less current liabilities)||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|Creditors (falling due after 1 year)||**0.00**|
**0.00**|
|||||
|||||
|**Total Net Assets**||
**114,303.18**|
**149,340.13**|
|||||
|||||
|**_Funds_**||||
|Unrestricted||**65,084.90**|
**74,920.46**|
|Restricted|4|**49,219.28**|
**74,419.67**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||**114,303.18**|
**149,340.13**|
## _The notes to the accounts can be found in Appendix I_
The main contributions are from employers, corporate donors and charitable trusts and these are listed in Appendix I. The foodbank's trustees, partners, employees, and volunteers are very grateful to all the individuals and organisations that have provided financial support.
We try to acknowledge all gifts over £100 (for corporations) and £50 (for individuals and churches) by letter, providing we have the necessary contact details. For individuals who are income taxpayers, we would also be able to claim your income tax back on donations you made if you endorsed a declaration form* including your address and postcode.
P a g e 14 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
The treasurer would be very pleased to hear from any individual or organization where a donation has not been acknowledged, or you have not signed a Gift Aid declaration. To donate please see the website.
*Download a form from the website, or contact the treasurer on angela.carrick@vishay.com
Grant funding enables us to continue to run our services and pay the staff. In 2025 we were fortunate to be the recipients of a further tranche of the grant from the Trusell Trust towards the provision of a financial advice service for foodbank users in partnership with West View Advice and Resource Centre. This fourth tranche is sufficient for six months' work and has been supplemented by grant funding from other funders to enable a whole further year of this work. (Funders listed in the notes to the accounts). We also received from the Trussell Trust the third and final tranche of funding for the local mobilising officer to campaign for awareness of the effects of poverty. Support to purchase food has come from the Household Support Fund through Hartlepool Borough Council, without which we would be unable to feed our clients.
P a g e 15 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix I – Notes to the Accounts
|**1**|**Corporate Donors over £500.00**|**Amount £**||
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
|||||
||Hart Biologicals|600.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Teesside Charity|1,250.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Tesco (via Trussell Trust)|2,297.94||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Cubic Transport|500.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Flow Tag Support|2,200.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Virgin|1,000.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||T.U.U.T.|1,000.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||McDonalds Staff & Customers|1,186.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||One O'Clock Club|2,000.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||**Total**|
**12,033.94**||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|**1**||||
||**Grants**|**Amount £**|**Restricted to:**|
|||||
|||||
|||3,000.00||
||CDCF Tees Valley|||
|||||
|||||
|||42,000.00|
Food|
||Hartlepool Borough Council (£2,000.00 unrestricted)|||
|||||
|||||
||Trussell Trust (£2,812.05 unrestricted)||
Financial Inclusion|
|||21,559.05||
|||||
|||||
||Trussell Trust (£5,620.00 unrestricted)|43,560.00|
OLM Project|
|||||
|||5,000.00||
||Sir James Knott Trust|||
|||||
|||||
|||1,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||Lloyds Foundation|||
|||||
|||||
|||5,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||Virgin|||
|||||
|||||
|||600.00|
Food|
||Asda|||
|||||
|||||
|||500.00|
Food|
||Neighbourly/ Sainsburys|||
|||||
|||||
|||1,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||Neighbourly/ Sainsburys|||
|||||
|||||
|||10,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||1989 Willan Trust|||
|||||
||**Total**|
**133,219.05**||
|**2**|Includes cost of volunteer refreshments and Christmas party.|||
|||||
|**3**|Utility and maintenance/telephone accruals paid in 2026 and PAYE.|||
|||||
P a g e 16 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
|**4**|Description
£ Carried
over from
previous
year (2024)
£ Restricted
grants received
£ Spent
during 2025
£ Prior Year
Corrections
£ Restricte
d reserve at
year end
Trussell Trust Financial Inclusion
37,494.00
18,747.00
37,965.75
9,738.20
8,537.05
HBC Support Parcels and Food
19,341.63
40,000.00
50,557.60
-131.23
8,915.26
Trussell Trust OLM Project
17,350.57
37,940.00
37,639.93
6,942.87
10,707.77
Sainsburys Financial Inclusion
1,000.00
1,000.00
Sainsburys Food
500.00
500.00
0.00
Asda Food
600.00
600.00
0.00
1989 Willan Trust Financial
Inclusion
10,000.00
10,000.00
Virgin Financial Inclusion
5,000.00
5,000.00
Lloyds Foundation Financial
Inclusion
1,000.00
1,000.00
Private Donations Financial
Inclusion
3,765.23
3,765.23
Interest to transfer to current
account
233.47
60.50
293.97
**Total restricted funds**
**74,419.67**
**118,612.73**
**127,263.28**
**16,549.84**
**49,219.28**|
|---|---|
|||
P a g e 17 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix II – Registration details
## **Hartlepool Foodbank CIO**
Hartlepool Foodbank is registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organization (CIO)(Charity Number 1152046).
**Address** : 28 Church Street, Hartlepool TS24 7DH
Telephone: 01429 405543
Website: www.hartlepool.foodbank.org.uk
## Its **Objects** are:
The relief and prevention of poverty for persons in Hartlepool who are in a condition of need, hardship or distress ('Beneficiaries') in such ways as the Trustees think fit, in particular but not exclusively by:
- A) Supplying food packages to beneficiaries
- B) Such other means, including (but not limited to) the provision of support and advice.
The **Trustees** are:
Rev’d Dr Andrew Craig - Chair of Trustees
Mrs Angela Carrick – Treasurer
Ms Linn Eklund – Secretary Mrs Susan Atkinson Mr Alan MacDonald Mr John Harvey Mr Shane Moore
P a g e 18 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix III – Member churches
Church of the Nazarene Grace Church Headland Baptist Church New Life Fellowship Owton Manor Baptist Church Oxford Road Baptist Church St. Aidan’s Church St. George’s URC St. Hilda’s Church
St. John the Baptist Church, Greatham
St. John Vianney R.C. Church St. Joseph’s R.C. Church St. Luke’s Church
St. Mary Magdalene Church, Hart St. Mary’s R.C. Church
St. Oswald’s Church
St. Patrick’s R.C. Church
St. Paul’s Church
St. Peter’s Church, Elwick
Stranton Church
In order to become a member of the foodbank, a Church should:
- Worship regularly within The Borough boundary of Hartlepool
- Subscribe to a Trinitarian belief about God as articulated in the ancient (Athanasian and Apostle’s) creeds of the Church
- Provide the trustees with names and contact details of at least one, and preferably two, members of the church as well as of the minister responsible for the church, these members having been given authority to represent their church at a General Meeting of the Foodbank.
P a g e 19 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix IV – Examiners Report
P a g e 20 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Hartlepool
Q Foodbank
Together with Trussell
Annual Report
2025
Annual Report 2025
## Contents
Letter from the Chair .............................................................................................................. 3 Coordinator’s Report ............................................................................................................. 6 Local Organiser’s Report ...................................................................................................... 10 Financial Report 2025 .......................................................................................................... 13 Appendix I – Notes to the Accounts ....................................................................................... 16 Appendix II – Registration details .......................................................................................... 18 Appendix III – Member churches ........................................................................................... 19 Appendix IV – Examiners Report ............................................................................................ 20
P a g e 2 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Letter from the Chair
One of the highlights of 2025 was a trip to the Palace of Westminster in June, with our coordinator Lisa Lavender and our community influencer/organizer Tracey Cartwright, to take part in a national Trussell “Lobby Day”. Our MP, Jonathan Brash, met us and showed us round the Houses of Parliament and, much more importantly, listened to what we told him and subsequently joined other Labour backbenches in opposing what the Government was proposing to do, reducing the level of benefits to some of the most vulnerable in our society. Following the “Guarantee our essentials” campaign a number of important changes were made, including retracting the “two child limit” to Universal Credit. This means that, from April 2026, not only will the level of child poverty be reduced in Hartlepool but also the numbers of people and families needing to come to the foodbank for emergency food relief, should start to reduce.
Only towards the end of the year was there a possible indication that these numbers are starting to reduce. Generally this year, demand has been at levels that were unprecedented in the earlier years of our operation – despite data from our partnership with West View Advice and Resources, giving financial advice to our clients, demonstrating how effective that programme has been at lifting people and families out of near-destitution. This evidence led to us giving high priority to continuing to support this project, providing 50% funding for a fourth year.
As well as _Guarantee our Essentials_ , Tracey Cartwright has contributed massively to our presence in Hartlepool’s networks including the Poverty Strategy Group, informed by the _Poverty Truth Commission,_ and the _Zarach_ project, providing beds and more for families not able to afford separate beds for their children. Her contribution to this Annual Report gives more details. Many thanks are due to Tracey for her work, that has gathered momentum as it has continued. Her post has been fully funded by Trussell until the end of March 2026 but we don’t have the financial resources to continue to support it after that. We hope to continue contributing to essential anti-poverty work in Hartlepool and nationally, in partnership with Trussell, with trustees supporting Lisa and her team. We also hope that Tracey will continue to be involved with our work in a voluntary capacity.
Since the inception of the Foodbank in 2012, I have been impressed with the generosity of the individuals, churches, businesses, unions, public bodies, philanthropic trusts and others that have supported us financially. The financial report gives more details. I am deeply grateful for all who contribute to our work, especially those who have made a financial commitment to us over a number of years. We have a robust funding base of around 50% of our core needs. Historically the other 50% has been made up by applying for grants from other charities and trusts. However, since the pandemic, this funding has been more difficult to obtain in the face of more competition from other
P a g e 3 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
organizations. As we have also been having to spend significant sums of money buying food to give to clients, this means we have a funding gap that must be addressed to ensure we can continue to provide emergency food relief, hospitality and signposting advice to our clients in the longer term. To this end we are applying for a grant from Trussell that would enable us to employ a fundraiser. Twice, our warehouse assistant has resigned in the last 12 months, so we have decided not to fill this post, but provide additional resources for Lisa and her deputy Hilary Sowden and rely on volunteers for the van driving and heavy lifting that maintain the flow of food to our clients. I acknowledge the work of Jayne Gray and Phil Thompson, both of whom contributed to our operation.
In 2026 we hope to strengthen and renew our links with churches, schools, retail outlets and other organizations that collect food for us, including _Church Ambassadors_ , a scheme to embed our work more deeply within our member churches. We have always worked in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, delivering food aid with funding from the _Household Support Fund_ , and hope to be able to continue to do the same from the _Crisis Resilience Fund_ that will replace it from April 2026.
Thanks go to all the individuals and organizations that contribute to our effort, including Embleton Hall Dairy who supply us with fresh milk for our clients; Tesco and ASDA, Trussell’s national funding partners that also give us food collection opportunities; and the owners of Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, who provide our warehouse rent free. We are excited to work in partnership with the Community Store established at Oxford Road Baptist Church to help clients out of food insecurity.
Among individuals deserving thanks are Mrs Josie Watson who continues to let us use 28 Church Street as our Headquarters rent-free; Clive Rathbone our _pro bono_ auditor; Alison Deer who cleans our premises free of charge (equivalent to a very generous financial donation); and my fellow trustees Susan Atkinson, who has continued to support funding applications; Linn Eklund, who acts as our secretary; Alan Macdonald, who brings energy and commitment and especially Angela Carrick our treasurer who continues to provide accounting and payroll services without payment. Over the last 18 months I am delighted that the Board of Trustees has been strengthened with the addition of two exceptional individuals: John Harvey, who has already made his mark supporting us in social media and funding; and, more recently, Shane Moore. Both bring skills and experience that are invaluable to the foodbank as we adapt for the future.
Lisa and Hilary keep the show on the road, leading our operations with passion, commitment and common sense. Massive thanks go to them, and to our corps of volunteers without whom we would not be able to do anything to help those who come to us in need.
From the Bible, the letter of James: “What good is it I, my friends, for someone to say he has faith, when his actions do nothing to show it? Can that faith save him? Suppose a
P a g e 4 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
brother or sister is in rags with not enough food for the day, and one of you says: ‘goodbye, keep warm, and have a good meal’, but does nothing to supply their bodily needs, what good is that? So, with faith: if it does not lead to action, it is by itself a lifeless action”.
Our foodbank is an act of our faith, and we thank God for the opportunity to put it into practice, to the benefit of all those experiencing adversity in our town.
Yours sincerely,
Rev’d Dr Andrew Craig, Chair of Trustees
P a g e 5 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Coordinator’s Report
## **Summary**
Another great year with our reliable and trusty volunteers!
As we turn into 2026, I would like to mention our long-standing volunteers. There are some that have been with the foodbank right from the word go. At least 9 (including 2 of our trustees) of our 40 volunteers have been serving the foodbank since December 2012 (and the beginning of 2013) when we first opened. This is an amazing commitment to the foodbank. Each and every one of the foodbank volunteers are incredible and between them hold many years of service. They are dedicated, loyal and faithful to the community of Hartlepool and strive to do their best for those who need to use the foodbank. We have 2 wonderful teams who are spread between the warehouse and our distribution centre at Church Street. Each one playing to their strength for the good of the community. Their value is beyond measure.
Over the last few years, we have seen the cost of food rise significantly, this has impacted on donations but nevertheless the community have still been generous is their giving. Over the course of 2025 we have processed 63.5 tonnes of food and given out just under 58 tonnes. Our warehouse volunteers have weighed, sorted, lifted, recorded, packed, delivered twice weekly to Church Street, collected from the supermarkets, schools and churches to mention a few. The Church Street Team continue to listen to stories, clean, pack, signpost and help wherever they can. We are also grateful for our corporate volunteers from local agencies and businesses; Kerry Foods, Trust Alliance Group, Virgin Media, START and Utilita. We look forward to our continuing relationship as we move into 2026.
Each of our Trustees are also volunteers. They are fully committed to the running of the foodbank, taking care of the staff and governance of the foodbank.
I would like to honour each one of our incredible volunteers including our Trustees for all their hard work and commitment throughout 2025.
## **Thank you, Amazing Volunteers!**
In June of 2025 we welcomed our 4[th] member of staff Phil – Phil has been with us for 6 months but now feels it is time to move on. We want to wish Phil all the best in the future and thank him for being part of the foodbank team and his hard work maintaining the warehouse.
Thank you, Phil.
Our partnership with West View Advice & Resource Centre continues again as we move into 2026. This partnership has been such an asset to the foodbank and the community of Hartlepool; giving on site financial advice.
P a g e 6 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
The role of our Operational Local Mobiliser will be coming to an end in March. Over the last 3 years Tracey has been involved in campaigns, building relationships, being out and about the community of Hartlepool, attended events across the town promoting the work of the foodbank within the network of Trussell. Please see Tracey’s final report for more detail of what she has been doing. Thank you, Tracey, for being part of the Team over these last 3 years.
My continued thanks to Hilary Sowden who continues to do a fabulous job as Deputy Coordinator.
## **Highlights of 2025**
Some highlights of 2025 include: A trip to the Houses of Parliament as part of a national campaign run by Trussell. Back in June we lobbied parliament along with many other foodbanks across the national network. This was an incredible day with our local MP, Jonathan Brash, taking time out of his schedule, to listen about our concerns for the people needing to use the foodbank and giving us an amazing tour. Thank you, Jonathan.
A wonderful visit to St Hild’s Secondary School to sit and chat with some of the students about the work that the foodbank does and how they could support us. A small group of students organised a collection which they dropped off at the foodbank along with their teacher Mrs Murray.
## **Thank you St Hild’s for thinking and choosing the foodbank to support** .
Another exciting venue for us was the Northern Film Studio – a huge donation of stock was received from them when they were dismantling a fictional supermarket. Not only was it lovely to receive the donation but also to meet the team and the producer. It was exciting to hear about what had recently been filmed in the studio. Thank you, Northern Film Studio.
And finally, we welcome a new Trustee to the board. All Trustees are volunteers and do a tremendous job overseeing the running of the foodbank. They come with varying gifts and skills. It is always a pleasure to have a new face on the team.
Thank you, Shane, for joining us.
## **Donations and distributions**
During 2025 Hartlepool Foodbank volunteers processed 2901 vouchers (3% reduction on 2024) which equates to 5053 food parcels (9% reduction on 2024). A total of 52.5 tonnes of food was given out in 2025.
The local community of Hartlepool continue to be generous in giving; our donations for 2025 were an amazing 22 tonnes, in terms of monetary value this weight would be in the region of £60K, which is outstanding. These donations were received from an eclectic
P a g e 7 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
mix of schools, supermarkets, churches, individuals, companies and community groups.
We are grateful to each and every donation that comes into the foodbank both in food and cash donations. These are but a few to mention. All have been amazingly generous.
- The 1 o’clock Lunch Club
- McDonalds staff and customers
- Flow Tag
- Hart Biologicals
## **Thank you, Generous Community of Hartlepool**
## **Supermarket Collections**
Our continued gratitude to the fabulous stores in Hartlepool for holding a permanent collection basket for the foodbank.
Tesco Hartlepool Extra – 6748 kg
Asda – 3589 kg
Morrisons – 2841kg
Sainsbury – 344kg
## **Financial Inclusion**
We have the privilege of providing financial advice for another year, through our longterm partnership with West View Advice & Resource Centre. The fourth year has been partly funded by Trussell and a number of grants (see appendix 1 for details). This has been a huge success for the foodbank. We look forward to another positive year. Please see below from our Financial Inclusions Manager at Trussell, Michelle Llewellyn;
As the Holistic Advice Manager, I am constantly inspired by the impact of Hartlepool foodbanks FI project. West View Advice and Resource Centre play a pivotal role alongside the foodbank. Their service goes beyond food provision, offering face-toface guidance on debt, benefits, housing, employment, and energy — removing the transactional approach and providing hope, dignity, and real solutions.
At their last annual review, over £1 million was secured through financial gains or debts managed, 71% of people no longer needed emergency food after they received advice, and four households were prevented from homelessness — transforming lives and strengthening your community.
Foodbank volunteers are at the heart of this work, ensuring that people in crisis can access timely, practical advice and support. Their care and dedication help address
P a g e 8 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
the root causes of hardship, reflecting both the foodbank’s and Trussell’s values, and supporting the 2025–2030 strategy to end the need for foodbanks.
## **Household Support Fund**
Our huge thanks to our local authority for the continued support with this funding. Without this contribution over the last few years the foodbank would have struggled greatly to cover the demand for food. We are looking forward to working with the Welfare Support Team to strengthen support and help prevent the need for the foodbank.
## **Social Media**
We will be seeing a new look to our Facebook page again this year. This is due to a Trustee now taking over the role. We are now also up and running on Instagram.
We give our huge thanks to Gabriel – our volunteer, who has been keeping our Facebook page updated over the last year.
## **Looking to the future**
Our work will continue with Trussell; hoping to end the need for foodbanks. As we move into this new year, we shall be looking at our structure and how we can best support those who need us. We shall continue to work with our partners delivering wrap around care.
We are here for anyone who may need us. Our desire is to give a helping hand up out of circumstances.
Lisa Lavender
Project Coordinator, Hartlepool Foodbank
P a g e 9 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Local Organiser’s Report
As my time as a local organiser/mobiliser draws to a close. I would like to reflect on my final year, in relation to my three years in this role.
The Together for Change strategic plan for 2020 to 2025 was an ambitious vision, a UK without the need for food banks. To address the issues forcing people to use food banks, the OLM role was created. I prioritised the following three areas of work.
## **Changing Communities**
The plan was to help food banks to reduce need locally and create campaigns to help communities. Following a close working relationship with bed poverty charity Zarach in 2023 and a successful campaign on maximising income in 2024. I decided this year to focus on raising awareness for claiming Child Benefit. HMRC, who are responsible for paying Child Benefit, state on their website that Child Benefit claims are at the "lowest level since HMRC began producing stats in 2003" proving families across the UK are missing out. Figures obtained from Hartlepool Borough Council showed that over 1000 households in Hartlepool were missing out on almost £1.5 million Child Benefit per year.
I was part of a working group to produce a myth busting document about Child Benefit eligibility. The document was funded from the OLM budget and printed in The Hartlepool Life. I was able to secure 1000 leaflets (free of charge) from Hartlepool Borough Council to support this campaign. We continue to use these leaflets in the foodbank and they have been distributed to partner organisations throughout the town.
Due to my networking relationship with Senior Officers from Hartlepool Borough Council, they agreed to help raise awareness by enclosing a Child Benefit leaflet when sending letters to Hartlepool families, advising them of changes to Childcare provision and free school meal eligibility.
The manager of the Baby Bank in Hartlepool also requested and received a digital copy of the Child Benefit campaign without it being specific to Hartlepool. She is the Senior Community Lead for the Baby Bank Alliance and was keen to share this information nationwide.
The Development Manager for Child and Adult Services at Hartlepool Borough Council also asked if she could share the information on the “Hartlepool Now” website, to which I readily agreed.
Early evidence from West View Advice & Resource Centre stats are that the Child Benefit awareness campaign has been successful. Deputy Manager Katherine Parker gave the following update on the Child Benefit work:
The Hartlepool Life Child Benefit article has now been completed and published.
P a g e 10 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
WVARC reported a 400% increase in Child Benefit enquiries for the same period last year with a 4% increase in entitlement to Child Benefit being identified.
Child Benefit Communications will continue through Social Media promotion and leaflet distribution.
Figures from Hartlepool Citizens Advice and Advice at Hart are being chased up to give us a true reflection of the impact of the campaign, which included a call to action to these organisations.
## **Changing Policy**
I have campaigned nationally to support the Guarantee Our Essentials campaign, and in responding to wider welfare cuts. I have sent letters to senior government officials, shared evidence with and spoken to our MP Jonathan Brash and his team on numerous occasions. The highlight for me was arranging a visit to Westminster in June 2025 and speaking honestly and frankly with Jonathan. It’s made a difference, and I’m proud of what has been achieved when working with so many fantastic people and organisations. I attended the first Hartlepool MP “Community Conversation” event and asked the question “Can you assure me that you will use your voice to call for the twochild limit to be lifted in full” ahead of the Autumn budget.
The response was amazing with the Government's decision to scrap the two-child limit. This is a moment to celebrate success and recognise progress; it’s testament to the hard work and long-term campaigning of many organisations in my network. 1,110 households in Hartlepool are affected by the 2 Child Limit on Universal Credit. The economic benefit of scrapping the 2 Child Limit will put £3,900,540 into Hartlepool family’s pockets and the local community.
## **Changing Minds**
We've also seen some encouraging impact for the Guarantee our Essentials campaign over the past few months:
- The Tribune Group motion backed our call for a Protected Minimum Floor in Universal Credit ahead of the Autumn budget, with a motion signed by more than 80 MPs
- Ministers including Rachel Reeves and Pat McFadden have been using language that reflects our campaign messages in recent evidence sessions to Parliamentary Select Committees, including recognising the wider costs of poverty to public services.
In my final months as OLM, I will be monitoring key political events in relation to welfare benefits, community and foodbanks. I will make the most of any political moments that open opportunities to influence. I am also helping to facilitate the “Our Journey to Date” Poverty Truth Commission event. I have been involved in the Poverty Truth Commission
P a g e 11 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
from the outset and look forward to celebrating achievements and success stories at the event in March 2026.
During my time as a Local Organiser, I have maintained and established new relationships with people who have a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for change. I have produced a list of useful contacts, keen to continue the work in reducing the need for food banks and will leave this with Hartlepool Foodbank. It would be fantastic if these relationships could continue to flourish and for more individuals and families to be lifted out of food poverty.
Tracey Cartwright, Local Organiser
P a g e 12 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Financial Report 2025
The accounts are unaudited. The independent examiner's report on the 2024 accounts is given in Appendix IV (the 2025 accounts will be examined later in the year).
Many thanks are due to our independent examiner, Clive Rathbone, for contributing to the work of the foodbank by carrying out the independent examination of the accounts without payment.
## **Income 2025**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total funds**|**2026 budget**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Note**|||||
|||**funds £**|**funds £**|**£**|**£**|
|||||||
|Private donations||26,154.29|
3,765.23|
29,919.52|
_23,000.00_|
|Church donations||2,071.00|
0.00|
2,071.00|
_1,550.00_|
|Corporate donations|1|11,265.05|
0.00|
11,265.05|
_10,175.00_|
|Grant funding|1|20,432.05|
114,787.00|
135,219.05|
_80,000.00_|
|Gift aid tax recovered||2,716.07|
0.00|
2,716.07|
_3,000.00_|
|Bank Interest||3,274.36|
60.50|
3,334.86|
_3,000.00_|
|**Total receipts**||
65,912.82|
118,612.73|
184,525.55|
_120,725.00_|
## **Expenditure 2025**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total funds**|**2026 budget**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Note**|||||
|||**funds £**|**funds £**|**£**|**£**|
|||||||
|**_Premises_**||||||
|Premises maintenance,||||||
|repairs & alterations||2,154.76|
0.00|
2,154.76|
_2,220.00_|
|Premises insurances &||||||
|rates||2,216.15|
0.00|
2,216.15|
_2,300.00_|
|Utilities||2,809.81|
0.00|
2,809.51|
_2,760.00_|
|||||||
|**_Running Expenses_**||||||
|Subscriptions||207.00|
37,965.75|
38,172.75|
_29,746.00_|
|Telephone & Broadband||973.16|
141.04|
1,114.20|
_1,100.00_|
|Office Supplies||4,539.24|
0.00|
4,539.24|
_5,000.00_|
|Food Purchases||16,315.79|
51,657.60|
67,973.39|
_70,000.00_|
|Transport||3,242.26|
0.00|
3,242.26|
_3,500.00_|
|Depreciation||0.00|
0.00|
0.00|
_0.00_|
|||||||
|**_Volunteers_**||||||
|Volunteers & Training||0.00|
0.00|
0.00|
_500.00_|
|Hospitality|2|672.12|
0.00|
672.12|
_700.00_|
|||||||
|Employee Costs Including||||||
|
Honorarium M Fulton||59,168.93|
34,930.92|
94,099.85|
_72,000.00_|
|OLM Expenses||0.00|
2,567.97|
2,567.97|
_2,000.00_|
|||||||
|**Totalpayments**||
92,299.22|
127,263.28|
219,562.50|
_191,826.00_|
P a g e 13 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## **Balance Sheet as at 31/12/2025**
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Description**|**Notes**|**£**|**£**|
|||||
|**_Assets_**||||
|||||
|Fixed assets||**0.00**|
**0.00**|
|||||
|Current assets||||
|Foodbank a/c||**31,252.99**|
**35,704.58**|
|Virgin Money Deposit||**49,219.28**|
**74,419.67**|
|Virgin Money Current||**10.00**|
**10.00**|
|Cambridge Fixed Rate Bond||**35,000.00**|
**50,000.00**|
|||||
|Debtors||**0.00**|
**0.00**|
|||||
|**Total Assets**||
**115,482.27**|
**160,134.25**|
|||||
|||||
|**_Liabilities_**||||
|||||
|Creditors (falling due within 1 year)|3|**1,179.09**|
**10,794.12**|
|||||
|**Total Liabilities**||
**1,179.09**|
**10,794.12**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|Net current assets||||
|||**114,303.18**|
**149,340.13**|
|(Total assets less current liabilities)||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|Creditors (falling due after 1 year)||**0.00**|
**0.00**|
|||||
|||||
|**Total Net Assets**||
**114,303.18**|
**149,340.13**|
|||||
|||||
|**_Funds_**||||
|Unrestricted||**65,084.90**|
**74,920.46**|
|Restricted|4|**49,219.28**|
**74,419.67**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||**114,303.18**|
**149,340.13**|
## _The notes to the accounts can be found in Appendix I_
The main contributions are from employers, corporate donors and charitable trusts and these are listed in Appendix I. The foodbank's trustees, partners, employees, and volunteers are very grateful to all the individuals and organisations that have provided financial support.
We try to acknowledge all gifts over £100 (for corporations) and £50 (for individuals and churches) by letter, providing we have the necessary contact details. For individuals who are income taxpayers, we would also be able to claim your income tax back on donations you made if you endorsed a declaration form* including your address and postcode.
P a g e 14 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
The treasurer would be very pleased to hear from any individual or organization where a donation has not been acknowledged, or you have not signed a Gift Aid declaration. To donate please see the website.
*Download a form from the website, or contact the treasurer on angela.carrick@vishay.com
Grant funding enables us to continue to run our services and pay the staff. In 2025 we were fortunate to be the recipients of a further tranche of the grant from the Trusell Trust towards the provision of a financial advice service for foodbank users in partnership with West View Advice and Resource Centre. This fourth tranche is sufficient for six months' work and has been supplemented by grant funding from other funders to enable a whole further year of this work. (Funders listed in the notes to the accounts). We also received from the Trussell Trust the third and final tranche of funding for the local mobilising officer to campaign for awareness of the effects of poverty. Support to purchase food has come from the Household Support Fund through Hartlepool Borough Council, without which we would be unable to feed our clients.
P a g e 15 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix I – Notes to the Accounts
|**1**|**Corporate Donors over £500.00**|**Amount £**||
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
|||||
||Hart Biologicals|600.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Teesside Charity|1,250.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Tesco (via Trussell Trust)|2,297.94||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Cubic Transport|500.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Flow Tag Support|2,200.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||Virgin|1,000.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||T.U.U.T.|1,000.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||McDonalds Staff & Customers|1,186.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||One O'Clock Club|2,000.00||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||**Total**|
**12,033.94**||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|**1**||||
||**Grants**|**Amount £**|**Restricted to:**|
|||||
|||||
|||3,000.00||
||CDCF Tees Valley|||
|||||
|||||
|||42,000.00|
Food|
||Hartlepool Borough Council (£2,000.00 unrestricted)|||
|||||
|||||
||Trussell Trust (£2,812.05 unrestricted)||
Financial Inclusion|
|||21,559.05||
|||||
|||||
||Trussell Trust (£5,620.00 unrestricted)|43,560.00|
OLM Project|
|||||
|||5,000.00||
||Sir James Knott Trust|||
|||||
|||||
|||1,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||Lloyds Foundation|||
|||||
|||||
|||5,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||Virgin|||
|||||
|||||
|||600.00|
Food|
||Asda|||
|||||
|||||
|||500.00|
Food|
||Neighbourly/ Sainsburys|||
|||||
|||||
|||1,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||Neighbourly/ Sainsburys|||
|||||
|||||
|||10,000.00|
Financial Inclusion|
||1989 Willan Trust|||
|||||
||**Total**|
**133,219.05**||
|**2**|Includes cost of volunteer refreshments and Christmas party.|||
|||||
|**3**|Utility and maintenance/telephone accruals paid in 2026 and PAYE.|||
|||||
P a g e 16 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
|**4**|Description
£ Carried
over from
previous
year (2024)
£ Restricted
grants received
£ Spent
during 2025
£ Prior Year
Corrections
£ Restricte
d reserve at
year end
Trussell Trust Financial Inclusion
37,494.00
18,747.00
37,965.75
9,738.20
8,537.05
HBC Support Parcels and Food
19,341.63
40,000.00
50,557.60
-131.23
8,915.26
Trussell Trust OLM Project
17,350.57
37,940.00
37,639.93
6,942.87
10,707.77
Sainsburys Financial Inclusion
1,000.00
1,000.00
Sainsburys Food
500.00
500.00
0.00
Asda Food
600.00
600.00
0.00
1989 Willan Trust Financial
Inclusion
10,000.00
10,000.00
Virgin Financial Inclusion
5,000.00
5,000.00
Lloyds Foundation Financial
Inclusion
1,000.00
1,000.00
Private Donations Financial
Inclusion
3,765.23
3,765.23
Interest to transfer to current
account
233.47
60.50
293.97
**Total restricted funds**
**74,419.67**
**118,612.73**
**127,263.28**
**16,549.84**
**49,219.28**|
|---|---|
|||
P a g e 17 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix II – Registration details
## **Hartlepool Foodbank CIO**
Hartlepool Foodbank is registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organization (CIO)(Charity Number 1152046).
**Address** : 28 Church Street, Hartlepool TS24 7DH
Telephone: 01429 405543
Website: www.hartlepool.foodbank.org.uk
## Its **Objects** are:
The relief and prevention of poverty for persons in Hartlepool who are in a condition of need, hardship or distress ('Beneficiaries') in such ways as the Trustees think fit, in particular but not exclusively by:
- A) Supplying food packages to beneficiaries
- B) Such other means, including (but not limited to) the provision of support and advice.
The **Trustees** are:
Rev’d Dr Andrew Craig - Chair of Trustees
Mrs Angela Carrick – Treasurer
Ms Linn Eklund – Secretary Mrs Susan Atkinson Mr Alan MacDonald Mr John Harvey Mr Shane Moore
P a g e 18 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix III – Member churches
Church of the Nazarene Grace Church Headland Baptist Church New Life Fellowship Owton Manor Baptist Church Oxford Road Baptist Church St. Aidan’s Church St. George’s URC St. Hilda’s Church
St. John the Baptist Church, Greatham
St. John Vianney R.C. Church St. Joseph’s R.C. Church St. Luke’s Church
St. Mary Magdalene Church, Hart St. Mary’s R.C. Church
St. Oswald’s Church
St. Patrick’s R.C. Church
St. Paul’s Church
St. Peter’s Church, Elwick
Stranton Church
In order to become a member of the foodbank, a Church should:
- Worship regularly within The Borough boundary of Hartlepool
- Subscribe to a Trinitarian belief about God as articulated in the ancient (Athanasian and Apostle’s) creeds of the Church
- Provide the trustees with names and contact details of at least one, and preferably two, members of the church as well as of the minister responsible for the church, these members having been given authority to represent their church at a General Meeting of the Foodbank.
P a g e 19 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
Annual Report 2025
## Appendix IV – Examiners Report
P a g e 20 | 20
Registered Charity No: 1152046
EXAMINER'S REPORT
Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of the HarueP) FC Bank CIO
I rewrt on the accounts of the Community Interest Organisatv)n for the year ended 31 Dmber
2025, which are set out on pages 1.
Respective responsibilittes of trustees and examiner
The chartvs trustees are reSponsie for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees
consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011
(the 2011 Act} and that an indepe[ent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 A
to follow the procedures down in the general Direcaions gNen by the Charity Commission
under section 145(5Kb) of the 2011 Ac¢ and
to state vthether partiCLAlar matters have cx)me to my attenth)n.
Basis of independent examinerfs rerM)rt
My examination was rrIed out in accordan with the general Direclions given by the Charity
Commission. An examination indudes a review of the accounting records kept by the chatity and
a comparison of the accounts presente(I with those records. It also indudes consideration of any
unusual items or disdosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as tStee$
conMIng any such matters. The procedures urKlertaken do not provide all the evidence that
would be required in an audit arKJ LX)nsequenty opinion is given as to whether the accounts
present a 'true and fair view, and the rert is limited to those matters set out in the statement
below.
Independent examinees statement
In connectton with my examination. no matter has wme to my attention:
(1) which gtves me reasonable cause to believe that in any matertal respect the requirernents..
to keep accounting records in accordan with sectton 130 of the 2011 ACL" and
to prepare accounts which accord vrilh the accounting records and comply with the accounting
requirements of the 2011 Act
have not been metr. or
(2) to which. in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper urfflerstanding
of the accoun
Clive Rathbone
21 Wolviston Road
Hartlepwl, TS25 SAP
Dated: 19th March 2026