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2022-03-31-accounts

ST NEOTS FOODBANK

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1154018

TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1ST APRIL 2021 TO 31ST MARCH 2022

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Charity Name

St Neots Foodbank

Registered Charity Number

1154018 (England and Wales)

Registered Office

Mrs Jennifer Henderson c/o Unit 2B Brittains Warehouse Little End Road Eaton Socon St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 8JH

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Operating address

Unit 2B Brittains Warehouse Little End Road Eaton Socon St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 8JH

Charity Trustees as of 31[st] March 2022

Office Church represented
Dr David Pacini Chair
Mrs Jennifer Henderson Secretary United Reformed Church
Mr Malcolm Crawford Treasurer New Street Baptist Church
Mrs Carol Way Deputy Chair St Mary’s Churches, St Neots with
EynesburyParish
Mrs Andrea Lees Open Door Church
Mr Simon Leher River Church
Dr Roger Peppiatt St Mary’s Parish Church,Eaton Socon
Dr Barbara Spencer Berkeley Street Methodist Church
Mrs WendyHallett St Neots’ Evangelical Church

Independent Examiner

David Brown FCA Executive Suite, A1 Lifestyle Village Great North Road Little Paxton St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 6EN

Bank

Lloyds Bank 17-19 Market Square St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 2BQ

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR PERIOD 1[st] APRIL 2021 TO 31[ST] MARCH 2022

1. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

1.1 Governing document

St Neots Foodbank is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its charity trustees. The trustees adopted a constitution on 6[th] September 2013 following the ‘foundation model’ of the Charity Commission. Registered charitable status was granted on 30[th] September, and the registered charity number is 1154018.

1.2 Trustee selection and management

The charity is managed by a board of trustees, most of whom attend and have been nominated by one of each of the ten founding churches. All trustees strongly endorse the charitable objectives of the organisation and support its Christian ethos.

The trustees are responsible for the development and strategic direction of the foodbank, and for ensuring governance and financial responsibility. They meet quarterly to review performance and monitor the achievement of objectives. The treasurer provides a financial monitoring statement at each meeting, including a forecast of the likely income and expenditure for the whole financial year, based on the results thus far. The trustees agree an annual financial statement which is independently examined before submission to the Charity Commission website. The project manager oversees the day-to-day operation of the foodbank, and reports to the trustees each meeting.

1.3 Related Organisations

The St Neots Foodbank is affiliated to the Trussell Trust, a charity based in Salisbury that assists churches and communities to open and run foodbanks nationwide.

1.4 Management of risk

The trustees have adopted a range of policy documents that are intended to manage and minimise risk. Areas covered include Health and Safety and Safeguarding. To further identify and minimise risk, a new policy and procedure on risk management was introduced in January 2021 together with a Risk Management Assessment Matrix which is collectively completed and agreed by Trustees. This matrix is updated every six months to identify all potential areas of risk, including governance, finance, operations, compliance with the law and regulations and any other external factors that could affect the foodbank.

Initial training was provided by staff from the Trussell Trust. The responsibility for training new volunteers has now been taken up by experienced Trustees and volunteers from St Neots Foodbank. In addition, regular training for volunteers is offered, including safeguarding and health and safety. All volunteers are encouraged to attend.

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The Trussell Trust last undertook a comprehensive Quality Assurance Audit of all aspects of the Foodbank’s operations, management and governance in October 2018 to monitor the operation of the foodbank against their procedures and policies. The assessors were complimentary about the running of the foodbank and for the first time there were no “requirements”. The recommendations that were highlighted by the audit were incorporated into our annual Action Plan and successfully implemented in 2019.

In August 2021 the Foodbank completed the newly introduced Governance Self-Assessment and this resulted in a written summary report from a member of the national Trussell Trust Quality Team. All 12 strands of Governance were assessed as at least meeting Trussell Trust standards and legal requirements (amber) with 7 being assessed as exceeding Trussell Trust standards (green). No strands were assessed as not meeting Trussell Trust standards and legal requirements (red). The recommendations in the report have either been implemented or included in ongoing actions.

2. OBJECTIVES, AIMS AND ACTIVITIES

2.1 Charitable Objectives

The St Neots Foodbank has as its objective the prevention and relief of poverty in St Neots and surrounding area, particularly, but not exclusively, by providing emergency food supplies and signposting help available from other agencies to individuals and families in need. This objective is undertaken with a Christian ethos; we seek to operate according to Christian principles of compassion, honesty, integrity, openness, kindness and care of all people, regardless of backgrounds or beliefs.

2.2 Aims

Our aims are to alleviate poverty through the provision of food parcels to those in crisis, in partnership with local care agencies who refer clients in crisis to us. The food parcels are intended to meet the immediate need. In parallel, signposting to care agencies, advice services and other support agencies is intended to help clients resolve the crisis causing their need of the foodbank.

2.3 Objectives for the year

The main objective for the year was to consolidate the work of the previous eight years. In practice this meant:

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2.4 Key decisions and events during the year

a. Home delivery model :

In response to the lockdowns and restrictions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the foodbank continued with a home delivery model for our 3-day emergency food parcels accompanied by, home delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables if requested and telephone signposting advice if required by clients.

b. Changes to Officers and Trustees :

In April 2021 Wendy Hallett was appointed as the Trustee for St Neots’ Evangelical Church (SNEC) and Simon Leher was appointed as the Trustee for River Church. A replacement trustee was still being sought from St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church.

c. Update to our Charitable Objective :

In January 2021 Trustees agreed to amend our charitable objective within our CIO document, to include an explicit reference to “signposting” (the amended objective is stated in full in section 2.1 above) and this was uploaded onto the Charity Commission (CC) website in November 2021.

d. Trussell Trust Franchise Agreement :

In April 2021 trustees agreed to remain part of the Trussell Trust Network and sign the newly introduced Network Franchise Agreement. Signing this agreement further committed St. Neots Foodbank to actively promoting and working to fulfil the Trussell Trust’s vision of ending the need for foodbanks in the UK. Signing the franchise agreement also allowed St. Neots’ foodbank to apply for new ‘Financial Inclusion’ grant streams, which would allow the Foodbank to work more closely with third part agencies, for example Citizen’s Advice, to further help foodbank clients.

2.5 How the Foodbank works

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distribution session where it was redeemed for an emergency foodbox. The client is also signposted toward other agencies, which may be able to help resolve the crisis. Since the Covid-19 lockdown on 24th March 2020, a voucher is issued either by the Trussell Trust E-referral system, password protected email or a phone call by our Voucher Partners and the client is contacted by telephone to arrange home delivery of the 3-day food parcel and signposted to other agencies if desired. The contents of emergency food boxes are intended to be nutritionally balanced and to provide sufficient food for 3 days.

Foodbank clients in receipt of a voucher are also able to receive home delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables.

2.6 Public Benefit

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

3. ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

3.1 Summary of the Year’s Activities

As the Covid 19 pandemic continued we kept a delivery model in place doing our main deliveries on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Office volunteers generally worked from home, going into the office as needed. We also continued to make up our own fruit and vegetable boxes, with the addition of eggs, and delivered these on Wednesdays to people who had received a parcel during the previous week. The boxes were packed on a rota basis by a new team of volunteers.

Following the higher amount of food we received during the first year of the pandemic and an increase in the number of people fed, these have both dropped during the reporting year and yet are still higher than pre-pandemic.

Year 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22
Food in(kg) 14,174 19,737 21,813 25,999 33,879 26,790
People fed 1,015 1,415 1,555 1,781 2,583 2,168
Christmasparcels 183 209 242 290 259 367
Summerparcels 21(trial) 77 99 82 -

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Instead of offering summer parcels, we decided to try giving crates of food to schools, and 1,173 kg of food was distributed. This made it easier for foodbank volunteers, and also meant parents had choice about what food they took.

305 Easter Eggs were given out with food parcels between 16 March and 4 May 2022 (which overlaps the period of this report plus next year’s).

Short-dated stock has mainly gone out with parcels, and we have been able to give away dented cans to an organisation happy to take them. A number of other groups have been supported, including Paines Mill and Three Pillars as and when we had stock available.

We have continued with virtual signposting to offer further support to those who use the foodbank, offering the council Household Support Fund where appropriate, providing emergency energy vouchers and a referral to CA or other organisations when requested. Referrals to our CA workers have led to many receiving significant financial gains in terms of claiming benefits which they did not receive but to which to which they were entitled. Many were also awarded a CLAS grant for essential items such as washing machines or cookers.

Further support has been given for other much needed items using Acts 435 and we now have two Advocates.

3.2 Voucher Partners

Voucher Partners are professionals from organisations providing welfare and community support in the local area such as doctors, schools, social workers, registered social landlords, local charities, and Citizens Advice staff, amongst others. When these professionals identify people in crisis they are able to issue them with a foodbank voucher. We have continued to move organisations to the e-referral system and are phasing out the use of red vouchers.

The number of Voucher Partners is 88 and we have the newly established Resident Advice Team from Huntingdon District Council as a new voucher partner. 910 vouchers have been fulfilled during the year. Using the delivery model, we have been able to service clients in the various villages around St Neots with greater ease.

3.3 Recipients of Food

During the year food was provided for 2,168 people (1,294 adults and 874 children). The following table provides the breakdown of the crisis types prompting use of the Foodbank for the year to the end of March 2022 (cause attributed by the Voucher Partners).

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Table: Reason for Issuing Vouchers

Crisis No. Vouchers No. Vouchers Percentage Percentage Adults Adults Children Children
Year 20/21 21/22 20/21 21/22 20/21 21/22 20/21 21/22
Benefit Changes 40 49 4 5 61 69 39 73
Benefit Delays 119 60 11 6 153 90 99 54
Child Holiday Meals 7 4 1 1 10 7 17 5
Debt 83 68 8 7 127 102 88 72
Delayed Wages 20 15 2 2 31 20 21 14
Domestic Violence 25 24 2 3 28 27 51 32
Homeless 23 19 2 2 26 21 11 14
Low Income 612 555 57 61 857 799 584 511
No recourse to public
funds
2 2 0 0 3 3 4 5
Other 86 53 8 6 134 70 124 56
Refused STBA 4 - 1 - 6 - 1 -
Sickness 46 61 4 7 67 86 41 38
Totals 1,067 910 100 100 1,503 1,294 1,080 874

3.4 Food Donated

The Foodbank has ‘drop-boxes’ in Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-op Stores which are collected weekly. In addition, we have Gainz Gym, the library and Eynesbury Primary school with collection boxes. This makes up about 60% of the total food collected. There were two threeday collections at Tesco in July and November 2021. This year we had volunteers at both collections, and this made a significant difference to the amount of food we were able to collect, compared to the previous year’s unmanned collections. Tesco then give a 20% financial ‘top up’ of the weight of food collected. A number of churches, schools, businesses, groups and individuals also donated food throughout the year. Harvest donations are a significant help to food donations, and we received about 2 tonnes of food from schools and 1 tonne from churches. The total amount of food collected this year was 26,790 kg and over the year to 31 March 2022 the amount of food distributed was 22,633 kg. At the end of March 2022, the stock level was 3,843 kg. Stock is valued at £1.75 per kilo as advised by the Trussell Trust. Therefore, the value of food held in stock at this time was £6,725.

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3.5 Publicity

Publicity has contributed to the success of the Foodbank . Two newsletters have been issued during the year, which have gone to all volunteers, voucher holders, churches and those who have asked to be kept informed about our work. As organisations have re-started we have been able to do a small number of talks as requested. We continue to be well supported by our local paper, the Hunts Post, which has published several articles, including publicity for printer cartridge collections done for us by Eaton Socon Bowls Club, who then sell these to provide financial funds for us. We continue to make posts on social media platforms and update our website.

3.6 Volunteers

The Foodbank is run entirely by volunteers, and we have gradually added new volunteers to the team as needed. There are various roles for warehouse volunteers in weighing, dating and sorting donations as well as separate teams of box packers and fruit and vegetable packers, along with those doing supermarket ‘pick ups’, delivery drivers and office staff.

We have held meetings on Zoom and kept in contact through telephone, WhatsApp groups and email.

4. FINANCIAL REVIEW

4.1 Principal sources of funds

Donations for general (unrestricted) purposes of £41,226 were received, in addition to a grant of £2,720 from Huntingdon District Council and £3,692 from the Trussell Trust being a oneoff grant for £1,440 from Waitrose, and £2,292 being top-up payments for food collected at Tescos. The latter is designated by the Trustees for the purchase of food.

During the year the Foodbank submitted to the crowd funding service, Acts435, the needs of clients, and grants totalling £5,036 were received.

There was a surplus of Unrestricted Funds for the year of £27,779.

4.2 How expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity

Most of the resources used by the Foodbank to achieve its objectives are donated in the form of the time offered by volunteers as drivers, packers, and in the Warehouse, the buildings and other facilities offered either free-of-charge or at greatly reduced cost by partner

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organisations, and the gifts of food by the public – e.g. the nominal value for the food gifts of 26,709kg received in the year was £46,740 which compares to the financial expenditure on other items of £16,194. The largest expenditure item was £7,293 to purchase fresh vegetables and fruit to add to client deliveries.

It is necessary to pay for the core running costs of the Foodbank in order to enable its objectives to be achieved. This year £3,161 was needed to supplement donations of food and purchase boxes to enable home deliveries.

The Foodbank’s operations are audited regularly by the Trussell Trust, and the accounts are independently examined.

In order to support other complementary charities in the area, 10% of the donations received (£4,120) has been set aside. During the year the total payments from this fund, including topping up Acts435 grants, was £1,580.

In total the Unrestricted and Designated Reserves total over £122,000 compared with about

This leaves about £53,000 as unrestricted Funds. This compares with the aim under the Trust’s Reserves Policy to maintain minimum unrestricted reserves of £30,000 being equivalent to about 6 months operating costs and about 3 months food supplies.

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ST NEOTS FOODBANK

CHARITY NUMBER: 1154018

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS

PERIOD ENDED 31 March 2022

Income
Voluntary Income:
Donations
Grants
Interest
Total Income
Expenditure
Warehouse rent
Electricity
Container Hire
Business Rates
Warehouse / Distribution eqpt
Subscriptions
Telephone
Printing, Stationery, Postage
Insurance
Office and travel Expenses
Purchase of vegetables and boxes
Cambs CC Outreach project
CAB Project
Acts435 grants
Gifts to partner charities
Total Expenditure
Net Movement of Funds
Transfer of Funds
Provision for tithe 2021/22
Contribution to Acts435
Transfer to Development Fund
Add: Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward at 31 March 2022
Unrestricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
2021/22
£
£
£
£
41,226
0
41,226
2,720
3,692
5,036
11,449
26
0
0
26
43,972
3,692
5,036
52,701
5,000
5,000
609
609
301
301
0
0
288
288
0
0
1,222
1,222
280
280
530
530
670
670
7,293
3,161
10,454
0
0
432
432
4,965
4,965
.
1,580
1,580
16,194
4,741
5,397
26,331
27,779
-1,048
-360
26,371
0
-4,120
4,120
0
-369
369
0
-50,000
50,000
79,719
15,966
1,756
97,441
53,378
68,669
1,764
123,811
Total
2020/21
£
67,405
9,116
126
76,647
5,000
586
702
0
162
395
1,922
258
453
263
8,201
0
0
8,407
1,460
27,807
48,840
0
0
0
48,601
97,441

11

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AT 31 March 2022
Current Assets
Bank Current account & in Hand
Deposit Accounts
Paypal Account
Soldo prepayment card
Tesco vouchers
Total Current Assets
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted Funds
Designated Funds
-
Provision forTithe
7,373
-
Development Fund
50,000
-
Energy Hardship Fund
2,000
-
Hardship Fund
999
-
Tescos top up
8,297
Restricted Funds
-
CAB Fund
1,224
-
Acts 435
540
Total Funds
<br>
Total
31 Mar 2022
£
26,971
95,338
0
903
600
123,811
53,378
68,669
1,764
123,811
Total
March 2021
£
25,829
70,311
0
700
600
97,441
79,719
6,753
0
0
1,448
7,765
1,656
100
97,441

I confirm that these accounts are in accord with the books of the St Neots Foodbank

. Date 2[nd] June 2022 .

Malcolm Crawford

Treasurer, St Neots Foodbank

I certify that I have verified the above accounts and find them to be a true and accurate record of the St Neots Foodbank accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2022.

___ Date .

David Brown

A1 Lifestyle Accounts Limited

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5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This report has described operation of St Neots Foodbank during the year 1[st] April 2021 to 31[st] March 2022. The trustees have again been truly grateful to groups and individuals in terms of donations of food and finance, people who hold vouchers, the local churches and to all those who have helped the foodbank to help local people in crisis. Tesco have continued their support of St Neots and other Trussell Trust network foodbanks by means of the twiceyearly food collections and cash top-ups. Brittains’ store continues to provide office and storage space in their warehouse, at a reduced rent. St Neots Foodbank is indebted to the many volunteers, without whom the Foodbank would not operate. In particular, it depends heavily on the hardworking and always-cheerful key volunteers who run the Foodbank on a day-to-day basis – Adrienne Dunn, Rona McCormick, Carol Way, Kerry Walsh and Peter Bradford.

13

ST NEOTS FOODBANK

CHARITY NUMBER: 1154018

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS PERIOD ENDED 31 March 2022

Income
Voluntary Income:
Donations
Grants
Interest
Total Income
Expenditure
Warehouse rent
Electricity
Container Hire
Business Rates
Warehouse / Distribution eqpt
Subscriptions
Telephone
Printing, Stationery, Postage
Insurance
Office and travel Expenses
Purchase of vegetables and boxes
Cambs CC Outreach project
CAB Project
Acts435 grants
Gifts to partner charities
Total Expenditure
Net Movement of Funds
Transfer of Funds
Provision for tithe 2021/22
Contribution to Acts435
Transfer to Development Fund
Add: Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward at 31 March 2022
Unrestricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
2021/22
£
£
£
£
41,226
0
41,226
2,720
3,692
5,036
11,449
26
0
0
26
43,972
3,692
5,036
52,701
5,000
5,000
609
609
301
301
0
0
288
288
0
0
1,222
1,222
280
280
530
530
670
670
7,293
3,161
10,454
0
0
432
432
4,965
4,965
.
1,580
1,580
16,194
4,741
5,397
26,331
27,779
-1,048
-360
26,371
0
-4,120
4,120
0
-369
369
0
-50,000
50,000
79,719
15,966
1,756
97,441
53,378
68,669
1,764
123,811
Total
2020/21
£
67,405
9,116
126
76,647
5,000
586
702
0
162
395
1,922
258
453
263
8,201
0
0
8,407
1,460
27,807
48,840
0
0
0
48,601
97,441

1

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AT 31 March 2022
Current Assets
Bank Current account & in Hand
Deposit Accounts
Paypal Account
Soldo prepayment card
Tesco vouchers
Total Current Assets
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted Funds
Designated Funds
-
Provision forTithe
7,373
-
Development Fund
50,000
-
Energy Hardship Fund
2,000
-
Hardship Fund
999
-
Tescos top up
8,297
Restricted Funds
-
CAB Fund
1,224
-
Acts 435
540
Total Funds
<br>
Total
31 Mar 2022
£
26,971
95,338
0
903
600
123,811
53,378
68,669
1,764
123,811
Total
March 2021
£
25,829
70,311
0
700
600
97,441
79,719
6,753
0
0
1,448
7,765
1,656
100
97,441

I confirm that these accounts are in accord with the books of the St Neots Foodbank

. Date 2[nd] June 2022 .

Malcolm Crawford

Treasurer, St Neots Foodbank

I certify that I have verified the above accounts and find them to be a true and accurate record of the St Neots Foodbank accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2022.

___ Date .

David Brown

A1 Lifestyle Accounts Limited

2

ST NEOTS FOODBANK

CHARITY NUMBER: 1154018

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS PERIOD ENDED 31 March 2022

Income
Voluntary Income:
Donations
Grants
Interest
Total Income
Expenditure
Warehouse rent
Electricity
Container Hire
Business Rates
Warehouse / Distribution eqpt
Subscriptions
Telephone
Printing, Stationery, Postage
Insurance
Office and travel Expenses
Purchase of vegetables and boxes
Cambs CC Outreach project
CAB Project
Acts435 grants
Gifts to partner charities
Total Expenditure
Net Movement of Funds
Transfer of Funds
Provision for tithe 2021/22
Contribution to Acts435
Transfer to Development Fund
Add: Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward at 31 March 2022
Unrestricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
2021/22
£
£
£
£
41,226
0
41,226
2,720
3,692
5,036
11,449
26
0
0
26
43,972
3,692
5,036
52,701
5,000
5,000
609
609
301
301
0
0
288
288
0
0
1,222
1,222
280
280
530
530
670
670
7,293
3,161
10,454
0
0
432
432
4,965
4,965
.
1,580
1,580
16,194
4,741
5,397
26,331
27,779
-1,048
-360
26,371
0
-4,120
4,120
0
-369
369
0
-50,000
50,000
79,719
15,966
1,756
97,441
53,378
68,669
1,764
123,811
Total
2020/21
£
67,405
9,116
126
76,647
5,000
586
702
0
162
395
1,922
258
453
263
8,201
0
0
8,407
1,460
27,807
48,840
0
0
0
48,601
97,441

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AT 31 March 2022
Current Assets
Bank Current account & in Hand
Deposit Accounts
Paypal Account
Soldo prepayment card
Tesco vouchers
Total Current Assets
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted Funds
Designated Funds
-
Provision forTithe
7,373
-
Development Fund
50,000
-
Energy Hardship Fund
2,000
-
Hardship Fund
999
-
Tescos top up
8,297
Restricted Funds
-
CAB Fund
1,224
-
Acts 435
540
Total Funds
<br>
Total
31 Mar 2022
£
26,971
95,338
0
903
600
123,811
53,378
68,669
1,764
123,811
Total
March 2021
£
25,829
70,311
0
700
600
97,441
79,719
6,753
0
0
1,448
7,765
1,656
100
97,441

I confirm that these accounts are in accord with the books of the St Neots Foodbank

. Date 2[nd] June 2022 .

Malcolm Crawford

Treasurer, St Neots Foodbank

I certify that I have verified the above accounts and find them to be a true and accurate record of the St Neots Foodbank accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2022.

. Date 21[st] September 2022 .

David Brown

A1 Lifestyle Accounts Limited