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2022-08-31-accounts

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT SEPTEMBER 2021 – AUGUST 2022

Life and Soul Youthwork Registered Charity Number: 1153304 Company Number: 08574869

Life & Soul Centre Christ Church Tunbridge Wells TN1 1UT

www.lifeandsoul.org.uk

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Board of Trustees David Payne (Chair appointed 23 Feb 2015) E Isobel MacDougall (appointed 11 July 2016) Felicity Roberts (appointed 4 Mar 2021) Nigel Daly (appointed 4 Mar 2021) Andrew Collins (Company Secretary appointed 16 July 2013)

Company number 08574869 Charity number 1153304 Registered office Christ Church High Street Tunbridge Wells TN1 1UT Chief Executive Officer Sarah Finch Independent examiner Nash Harvey Group LLP

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

GOVERNING DOCUMENT

The charity’s governing document is The Memorandum and Articles of Association. Life & Soul is a Registered Company with Charitable Status and was incorporated on 18[th] June 2013. This replaces charity number 1099511, registered 2003.

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the Articles of Association are known as members. New trustees are recruited through an open recruitment process which includes application, interview and references. There is a formal procedure for the induction and training of members of the Board of Trustees. Trustees may serve no more than three consecutive terms of three years following which no out-going trustee shall be eligible for re-election for a period of 12 months following retirement, except in exceptional circumstances. All trustees give their time voluntarily.

The Board of Trustees meets five times a year and have responsibility for the strategic oversight of the charity. The Board of Trustees delegate the day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive Officer.

The legal name of the charity is Life and Soul Youthwork but the name Life & Soul has been adopted for ease of recognition and marketing.

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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The charity’s purpose as set out in the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association is ‘the advancement of the Christian faith worldwide.’ Specifically, we express this by providing services that encourage the recognition and celebration of the uniqueness of every individual, created in the image of God. We work with children and young people of all faiths and none.

OUR VISION

That every child and young person would love their God-created uniqueness and be confident in their own voice and place in the world.

OUR MISSION

To provide early intervention services that enable young people to explore who they are, what is right for them and to confidently pursue their chosen path in life.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

The Board of Trustees would like to thank all staff and volunteers for their hard work and dedication over the last year as well as all the charity’s supporters and funders.

The charity has continued its work of improving the social, health and educational outcomes of children and young people by nurturing and empowering them to accept and celebrate their own unique self, to find their voice and to be informed, confident and skilled to make wise life decisions.

The pandemic continues to have a significant impact on young people’s mental health. The long-term impact of having limited social interaction at a time when it is crucial for healthy brain development is now being seen across primary and secondary age groups. Many teachers are reporting that significant numbers of children and young people are two years behind in their social and emotional development, yet they are still having to cope with the same pressures and academic expectations as previously. This, along with the impact of the pandemic on families and wider society, is taking its toll on the mental health of young people. Recent reports appearing in the national news state:

OUR STRATEGIC AIM

To improve young people’s mental well-being which will lead to better social, health and educational outcomes.

OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

In order to improve young people’s mental well-being we:

The charity undertakes the following activities to achieve its aims and objectives:

The Board of Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in the review of our aims and objectives and the planning of our activities. Further details on our activities and how they benefit the public are detailed in the following section.

The report goes on to say ‘With one in six school children experiencing mental health issues, it’s startling to realise that there is an average 10-year delay between them displaying their first symptoms and getting help from mental health professionals.”[2]

We are working to meet this increased demand with our early intervention services by:

The trustees continue to provide strong accountability and leadership for the charity and work closely with the CEO to support the work of the charity and set the strategic direction.

1www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63784751

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Connect Mentoring

Connect Mentoring continues to support young people and shows a significant impact on improving the mental well-being of those who are struggling and at risk of poor social, health and educational outcomes. Each young person receives a series of at least six one to one sessions with one of our mentors within school.

As the pandemic has progressed and health and social services have become increasingly overwhelmed, the work of the Connect Team has become even more important. Volunteer mentors are reporting seeing young people with more serious mental health issues as it becomes harder to access other support.

There have been two training days this year with six new mentors attending and six coming for refresher training. Each mentor generally sees between 2 and 3 students a week. Throughout the year we have averaged 18 Mentors each week, working in three local schools.

134 young people have benefitted from Connect Mentoring this year. 98.2% of those who completed the course recorded a significant improvement in their well-being.

In September we recruited an additional Connect Co-ordinator to cope with the increased demand. We have improved the training and on-going support and supervision of mentors which has been well received with mentors reporting that they are more confident in using the Solution-Focused approach in mentoring and feel that they are part of a team.

Having mentored in just three of the local secondary schools for a number of years, we were asked by a fourth school to provide mentoring from January and then a fifth school from April. We started with just two mentors in each school to allow for the schools to assess the impact of the support and set up the necessary admin procedures. Both schools are now asking for more mentors as they have waiting lists of those needing to be seen.

----- Start of picture text -----
“You helped me talk
to my Mum and figure out
what to say. Everything’s
getting better”
Student
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
“I have learnt how to
cope with my problems
and situations better”.
Student
“I feel more confident
and more hopeful
for the future.”
Student
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
“It gives me the
courage to resolve problems
I would otherwise be
stressed about.”
Student
----- End of picture text -----

“X is a lot happier. Seems to be a lot more relaxed and able to focus in class without being distracted by other students.” Teacher

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

The RSE team have delivered lessons to 360 young people over the year covering topics such as ‘Media Messages and Me’, ‘Emotional Well-Being’, ‘Healthy Relationships’, ‘Sex and Consent’ and ‘Pornography and Sexting.’ The lessons were well received.

With the introduction of the new statutory Relationships and Sex Education curriculum for primary and secondary schools, there is now training for teachers and resources available to support the delivery of this important content in primary and secondary schools. The curriculum also encourages the inclusion of the content across the whole school curriculum rather than just as standalone lessons. Hence, we have seen a significant reduction in demand for these lessons and will be stopping this project in the next academic year. This will enable us to use our resources to better effect in the projects where demand is growing.

----- Start of picture text -----
“That was really helpful… “I love the way you
It’s so good having experts are positive about sex
come in to talk to us
and relationships! You never
about this stuff!” tell the students what
STUDENT to do but encourage them
to think and make
choices for themselves"
TEACHER
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
“Thank you for your ongoing
support of our school, especially
through the challenging times
of late. The girls enjoy your
visits enormously and we
really value your support”.
TEACHER
----- End of picture text -----

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Unlimited

Unlimited is our resilience workshop aimed at pupils in Year 5 and 6 who need a boost before going on to secondary school. We have a team of two people working just two afternoons a week covering topics such as Our Uniqueness, Body Image, Worries & Fears and Handling Emotions in a fun, creative and interactive way. The team work with a small group of pupils in each school and tailor the content of the sessions to the needs of the children.

91 children completed the Unlimited course this year.

96.5% reported improved well-being and self-esteem by the end of the course.

“I shouldn’t be afraid to be myself. I really liked how respectful, funny and kind they were. Sharing my feelings helped me feel better, it has calmed me down”.

----- Start of picture text -----
Pupil
----- End of picture text -----

“I am able to control

myself when I am mad. I learnt how to control my emotions. I like that they respect your ideas. I learnt to be a good friend.”

Pupil

“I have learnt to cope. Unlimited is supportive and teaches you ways to tackle different things. Unlimited is the best thing I have done. I don’t need to worry about going to secondary school. I’ve learnt how to be more confident. I will ask someone I trust when I am feeling sad.”

----- Start of picture text -----
Student
----- End of picture text -----

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Play Therapy

Play therapy is a gentle play-based form of counselling that is effective for children who are struggling to deal with difficult situations and can’t always articulate what is causing their distress. Children can use a variety of mediums in the room including clay, art, sand and role play to process what is happening in their lives and any issues they may be facing or have experienced in the past.

Our specialist play therapist works in one local school which has high levels of pupil premium children. Many of the children she works with come from very challenging home situations. This year she has worked with 10 children and their families. Our

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

With the significant increase in the numbers of young people being mentored and to enable the work to expand further we plan to streamline and improve the admin processes. These were developed when there was just one mentor going into one school and seeing about 3 students a week. Now we have around 20 mentors going into 5 schools seeing approximately 50 students a week.

There have been requests from some primary schools for a course to follow on from Unlimited aimed purely at Year 6 pupils and the transition to secondary school. We will be working on producing this course and will look to increase capacity in the team to deliver it.

With both Connect Mentoring and Unlimited we would like to begin to move out beyond Tunbridge Wells to reach young people who are further afield.

aim is to work with the parents to ensure that the therapeutic process is holistic and stimulates changes in well -being and behaviour at home as well as school.

Before sessions begin with the child. Individual parent/carer meetings are held to discuss the home situation and hoped-for changes that will happen as a result of the play therapy. These are then re-visited at the end to review what progress has been made. Each child spends a minimum of 6 one to one sessions with our play therapist and is able to work through any issues in a safe, nurturing space. This continues for as long as the child needs and results in a significant improvement in the well-being of the child.

“X really opened up and the sessions really helped him move on from issues that had been at the front of his mind for nearly two years” Parent of child who attended Play Therapy

“You have given my child coping strategies for when things aren’t going well at home. They are now more confident and happy, thank you, I am so grateful.” Parent of child who attended Play Therapy

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

The trustees are pleased to report a surplus for the year of £6,576 (2021 - £2999) on unrestricted funds. All the charity assets were employed in pursuing the charitable objects of the charity. More detailed information is set out on the following pages.

FINANCIAL RESERVES

It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been included as fixed assets should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six months’ expenditure excluding depreciation. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. Three months’ general fund expenditure based on the new financial year budget, amounted to approximately £12,000 and unrestricted reserves held as current assets at the end of the year were £22,000.

VOLUNTEERS

Life & Soul is blessed with many volunteers who give their time to support young people through the projects that we run. Were all the volunteer roles to be salaried at an average rate for the charity then the charity would need to have found approximately an additional £12,400 in the last year which is over 25% of the staffing budget as a whole. This is a significant saving and without all the wonderful and dedicated volunteers the impact of the work of Life & Soul would be significantly reduced.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The Board of Trustees have conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed.

One of the principal risks identified continues to be securing sufficient funding. Working with a local fundraising consultant with experience in applying for grants and trusts, promotion and securing corporate sponsorship has seen our income from grants increase this year to £25,850 from £10,160 in the previous year.

The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.

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Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of Life and Soul Youth Work

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 August 2022.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the ‘ 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s report

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

David Smith BSc (Hons) FCA

Name:

Address:

Nash Harvey Group LLP, Hermitage Court, Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME16 9NT

5[th] January 2023

Date:

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Life and Soul Youthwork Accounts 2022

Raising funds calculations

Income
Raising funds
Grant
Other - fundraising
Donations - monthly
Donations - one off
Gift Aid
Other income (Misc)
Charitble Activities
School income		 Connect
Other
Total
5,500
20,350
25,850
2,845
2,845
21,805
21,805
0
5,950
5,950
3,996
3,996
5,500
54,946
60,446
0
167
167
6,192
3,655
9,847
TOTAL 70,460
Expenditure
Raising funds
(Fundraisingand events)
Everything else to charitable
activities
Depreciation & Insurance
Wages
Uniform
Support costs
SUB TOTAL		 6,418
6,418
2,751
1,538
4,289
0
695
695
11,468
30,195
41,663
0
415
415
117
12,931
13,048
14,336
45,774
60,110
TOTAL 14,336
52,192
66,528

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 August 2022

Notes
Income from:
Raising funds
2a
Charitable activities
2b
Other income
2c
Investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
3a
Charitable activities
3b
Total expenditure
Net (deficit)/income for the
year
Transfer between funds
Final net (deficit)/income
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
funds
funds
funds
2022
2022
2022
£
£
£
54,946
5,500
60,446
3,655
6,192
9,847
167
0
167
0
-
0
58,768
11,692
70,460
6,418
-
6,418
45,774
14,337
60,111
52,192
14,337
66,529
6,576
(2,645)
3,931 0
0
-		 Total
funds
2021
£
57,173
5,676
3,892
0
66,741
3,416
56,707
60,123

6,618
-
6,576
-2,645
3,931 0
21,923
6,927
28,850
6,618
22,232
28,499
4,282
32,781		 28,850

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Balance sheet as at 31 August 2022

Balance sheet as at 31 August 2022
Notes
£
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets
7
Total fixed assets
Current assets
Debtors
8
1,598
Cash at bank and in hand
31,383
32,981
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
9
(200)
Net current assets
Total net assets
Funds
10
Restricted
Unrestricted
Total funds		 - 2022
£


32,781
32,781
4,282
28,499
32,781		 2021
£
106
- 106
1,396
28,948
30,344
(1,600)
28,744
28,850
6,927
21,923
28,850

1. Accounting policies

The principle accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies have been applied consistently throughout the year and in the preceding year.

(a) Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

(b) Fund accounting

(c) Income

Income is included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to, and virtually certain to receive, the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following policies are applied to particular categories of income:

- Income received by way of grants, donations and gifts is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant. Income from grants, where related to performance and specific deliverables, are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.

(d) Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes VAT and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates:

The company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

No members have required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts.

Approved by the trustees

Chairman:

Date: 7[th] December 2022

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(e) Fixed assets

Fixed assets (excluding investments) are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. The costs of minor additions or those costing below £400 are not capitalised. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of the asset over its expected useful life, which in all cases is estimated at 4 years. Impairment reviews are carried out as and when evidence comes to light that the recoverable amount of a functional fixed asset is below its net book value due to damage, obsolescence or other relevant factors.

(f) Company Status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the charity.

2a. Income from raising funds

2a. Income from raising funds
Donations
Fundraising
Grants
2b. Income from charitable activities
Connect
Schools
2c. Other Income
Misc income
CJRS Claims
3a. Expenditure on raising funds
Fundraising costs		 2022
General
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
31,751
31,751
2,845
-
2,845
20,350
5,500
25,850
54,946
5,500
60,446
2022
General
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
-
6,192
6,192
3,655
-
3,655
3,655
6,192
9,847
2022
General
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
167
167		 2021
Total
£
41,023
5,990
10,160
57,173
2021
Total
£
3,656
2,020
5,676
2021
Total
£
3892
167
0
167		 3892
2022
General
Restricted
Total
£
£
£
6,418
-
6,418
6,418
-
6,418		 2021
Total
£
3,416
3,416

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3b. Expenditure on charitable
activities
Staff costs
Training
General costs
4. Net Income/expenditure for the year
This is stated after charging:
Depreciation
5. Staff costs
Salaries and wages
Employers National Insurance
Pension costs		 General
Restricted
£
£
30,195
11,468
21
2,226
15558
642		 2022
Total
41,663

2,247

16,200

60,110
2022
Total
£
106
106
2022
Total
£
39,519
-
2,144
41,663		 2021
Total
42,076
1,452
13,179
45,774
14,336		 56,707
2021
Total
£
181
181
2021
Total
£
39,713
-
2,363
42,076

Included within the above figures, emoluments for key management personnel amounted to £11551, (2021 - £11809)

No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 in the year (2021: £nil).

The amount of liabilities arising from employee benefits in the year amounted to £nil (2021: £nil).

The average number of employees during the year, calculated on the basis of full time
equivalents, were as follows:
2022
Total
Number
Employees
2
2
Trustee Remuneration and Related Party Transactions		 2021
Total
Number
2
2

During the year, no trustee received any remuneration nor any reimbursement of expenses (2021: £nil) No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity during the year. Donations made by trustees during the year amounted to £360 by A Collins (2021 £360 A Collins).

6. Taxation

As a charity, Life and Soul is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or s256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Charity.

7. Tangible Fixed Assets

7. Tangible Fixed Assets
Cost
At 1 September 2021
Additions
At 31 August 2022
Accumulated Depreciation
At 1 September 2021
Charge for the year
At 31 August 2022
Net book value
At 1 September 2021
At 31 August 2022		 2022
Office
Equipment
£
4,189
-
4,189
4,083
106
4,189
106
-

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8. Debtors

Other debtors and prepayments
Total
9. Creditors: Amounts Falling Due within One Year
Taxation and Social Security
Other creditors and accruals
Total
10. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds
Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets		 General
Restricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
-
-
28699
4282
(200)		 2022
Total
£
1,598
1,598
2022
Total
£
-
200
200
2022
Total
Funds
£
-
32,981
(200)

32,781		 2021
Total
£
1,396
1,396
2021
Total
£
133
1,467
1,600
2021
Total
Funds
£
106
30,344
(1,600)
28499
4282		 28,850

11. Movements in Funds

Restricted funds:
Unrestricted funds:
General funds
Total funds		 At 1 Sep
Incoming
Outgoing Transfer
At 31 Aug
2021 Resources
Resources
between
funds
2022
£
£
£
£
6,927
11,692
(14,337)
0
4,282
6,927
11,692
(14,337)
0
4,282
21,923
58,768
(52,192)
0
28,499
21,923
58,768
(52,192)
0
28,499
28,850
70,460
(66,529)
-
32,781

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TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT

The trustees (who are also directors of Life and Soul Youthwork for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice)

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the orporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small company’s exemption.

This report was approved by the Trustees, on 7[th ] December 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

David Payne Chair of the Board of Trustees Date: 7[th] December 2022

References

  1. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2020wave-1-follow-up

  2. www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/more-than-half-fear-lockdown-ending-as-pandemics-impact-on-mental-health-laid-bare/

  3. www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n614

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Life and Soul Youthwork Registered Charity Number: 1153304 Company Number: 08574869

Life & Soul Centre Christ Church Tunbridge Wells TN1 1UT

www.lifeandsoul.org.uk