Basford, Bestwood & Bulwell Foodbank Registered Charity Number 1153963
Trustees Report
April 2024 to March 2025
Basford, Bestwood & Bulwell Foodbank (working name Bestwood & Bulwell Foodbank) is an unincorporated association governed by a constitution adopted on 19[th] March 2013.
Our charitable purpose is the prevention or relief of poverty which we do through the distribution of food and essential items to people in crisis within the City and County of Nottingham.
We are part of the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks and our principal place of operations is St. Philip’s Church, Knights Close, Top Valley, Nottingham. NG5 9AJ.
In accordance with the constitution, Trustees are appointed or reappointed annually at the Annual General Meeting.
The Trustees for the period covered by this report were Ms. Adele Brooksbank, Mr. John Gregory (Greg) Cowley BEM (Chair) & Rev. Christine Little.
All trustees gave their time voluntarily and received no remuneration or other benefits.
The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by The Charities Commission on public benefit and are satisfied that the charities operation continues to satisfy those criteria.
Report on Activities
Throughout the period we have retained a strong core of volunteers for which we remain thankful as without them it would not be possible to operate at the level needed. However, the continued demand does place a strain on our volunteers and despite this strong core, there have been occasions where we have needed to seek last minute assistance or operate with skeleton levels of staffing.
We have always attempted to help clients address the underlying issues which cause them to seek help from our charity and to that end, with grant funding we have been able to formalise our work with Bestwood Advice Centre to fund a part time Welfare Benefits & Debt Advisor and a part time Support Advice Worker who can work from our distribution centres. This facility continues to be extensively used to successfully assisted clients to secure additional benefits.
We have also received some funding from Nottingham City Council through the Household Support Fund which has allowed us to top up some of our food stocks.
Demand for our services continues at both our main distribution centre which operates from St. Phillip’s Church in Bestwood and our secondary centre which operates one day a week out of St. Mary’s Church in Bulwell although, encouragingly we have seen a decrease in the number of visitors. In total this year we have provided food parcels of ten meals each to 4,449 people which is 1618 fewer people than last year, a decrease of 27%.
The decrease in demand for our services, coincided with a decrease in the level of food donations we received, although the monies we have received via fundraising, donations and the household support has allowed us to shore up a number of staples without significantly reducing our working funds.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
John Gregory Cowley Chair of Trustees 2[nd] January 2026
Bestwood & Bulwell Food Bank
Accounts to 31 March 2025
| GENERAL FUND INCOME Donations Donations via CAF TESCO donation based on food collection Gift Aid GENERAL FUND TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE Payments to Trussell Trust Food Purchases Health & Safety Employee costs Salary & Pension Agency fees Volunteer Support Insurance Contribution towards centre running costs Telephone Post & Stationary Warehouse costs Legal Costs Energy Support via Bestwood Advice Centre Equipment purchased GENERAL FUND TOTAL EXPENDITURE Excess of expenditure over income RESTRICTED FUNDS Computer Equipment/Debt Support Income Expenditure Debt Support via Bestwood Advice Centre Equipment purchased Defecit of income over expenditure |
Year to 31 Mar 2025 67373 6111 73484 2984 291 76759 0 51465 0 21460 0 21460 991 548 1800 140 647 760 35 0 0 77846 -1087 |
Year to 31 Mar 2025 67373 6111 73484 2984 291 76759 0 51465 0 21460 0 21460 991 548 1800 140 647 760 35 0 0 77846 -1087 |
|---|---|---|
| 21460 0 |
||
| 76759 0 51465 0 21460 991 548 1800 140 647 760 35 0 0 |
||
| 77846 | ||
| -1087 | ||
| 29967 | ||
| 29967 999 |
||
| -999 | ||
As at 31 Mar 2025
As at 31 Mar 2024
REPRESENTED BY
| Cash at bank General Fund as 1 April 2024 Loss, 2025/ Surplus 2024 GENERAL FUND AT 31 Mar 2025 Restricted Funds as 1 April 2024 Deficit on Restricted fund RESTRICTED FUND AT 31 Mar 2025 TOTAL ALL FUNDS |
87209 -1087 |
98123 | 78365 8844 |
100209 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98123 | 100209 | ||||
86122 12001 |
87209 13000 |
||||
| 13000 -999 |
13000 0 |
||||
| 98123 | 100209 | ||||
Notes to Accounts
Not all of our activities are cash based, we had the following transaction in the period.
| Kilograms | £ Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Food held in store at 1 April 2024 | 26315 | 44209 |
| Food donated or purchased by Foodbank during the year | 38480 | 64646 |
| Food given out by Foodbank during the | ||
| year | 32237 | 54158 |
| Food held in store at 31 March 2025 | 32558 | 54697 |
Food is valued at an average price of £1.68 per Kg.
Food purchased and food held in store includes food paid for but not physically delivered to the foodbank at 31 March 2025.
Policy on Reserves
It is the policy of Bestwood & Bulwell Foodbank to hold in General Reserve a sum of not less than 50% of the general expenditure of the current financial year. As at 31 March 2024 Bestwood & Bulwell Foodbank held in General Reserve £87209 a figure in excess of the minimum requirement of this policy of £36212.
xam ners report to the Trustees estwoo an we Foodbank I report on the Flnanclal Slatements for the year ended 3111 March 2025 Respectlve Responslbllltl•s ol th• Truil•ei and the Éx*mln•f ' As members ol ihe Trust. you are respon51ble for the preparatlon of the Flnanclal Statemerrts. You h•ve requested thal an Independent examlnatlon Is carrled out. It Is my responsibility to Issue this report on those Flnanclal Statements. Basls ol thls report I have examlned the accounts kept by the Trustees and agreed those to the Financial Statements and the bank account statements. I have traced all Items of expenditure back to supixirting documentatlon, I have reconclled the bank account at the end of the accounting perlod. I have ived your assurances that the grants recelved during the period are not restricted or have been used within the restrictions imposed. Independent Examlners Statement In connertion with my examination, no matter has come to my&ttention l} which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements To keep accounting records To prepare Financial Statements have not been met; or 2) which in my opinion. Attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached M P Powditch ACA 11 Gerrard Close Arnold Nottin8ham G5 9QL 22r41 October 2025