## **Trustees’ Annual Report** **Period covered by report:** From 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 **Charity name:** Bishop’s Stortford Food Bank **Charity address:** The Methodist Church, 34b South Street, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 3AZ **Charity registration number:** 1154800 **Objectives and Activities:** Our objectives are as stated in our constitution: _The prevention or relief of poverty in Hertfordshire and Essex in particular, but not exclusively, by providing emergency food supplies and related provisions to individuals in need and to charities or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty._ In working to fulfil our objectives during the year, the Food Bank’s main activities involve the distribution of food items and supermarket vouchers to clients referred by other partner agencies. Clients may also self-refer in the first instance and are signposted to other agencies where further support is indicated. Food can either be collected in person by clients or delivered by a team of volunteer drivers. The Food Bank also provides assistance to those in fuel poverty by purchasing credit on the card or key of the client’s pre-payment gas/electricity meter. The Food Bank has also been able to provide white goods for clients. The Trustees take into account the commission’s public benefit guidance when making any relevant decision. **Achievements and Performance:** During the twelve months covered by the report the Food Bank again met a much higher level of demand than in previous years. The numbers of referrals received, and the total numbers of people fed, were both greater than the preceding twelve month period, which in turn was significantly busier than the year before that, and the year before that. This trend reflects the national picture for Foodbanks. To cope with the increasing demand, the Food Bank has raised its profile in the community to ensure that the donation of food items by members of the public and high levels of financial support continue, and also that adequate volunteer numbers are maintained. In previous years, the donation of food items in supermarkets had been largely sufficient to meet the demand, but this year insufficient food was donated to meet the increased demand. However, the money donated to the Food Bank by schools, churches, businesses and individual members of the public has allowed the shortfall to be met by buying in additional items for our clients as well as allowing the foodbank to fund vouchers so that clients can purchase fresh produce and other items according to their own choice and need. **Financial Review of the Year:** Income in the year ended March 2023 amounted to £148,000, the highest the foodbank has ever seen. All of our income arises from donations and during this year we were humbled by the local community’s response to the growing need for our services. Costs have increased due to both the increased use of the Food Bank and the increases in underlying costs, with expenditure for the year at £89,000. Recurring costs increased by approximately 50% compared to the previous year and cost increases are budgeted to continue into future years. Overall, the year to 31 March 2023 saw net receipts of nearly £60,000 with reserves at 31 March 2023 standing at £124,000. Reserves at the year-end were in excess of the policy of approximately one year’s regular expenditure, however, Trustees expect that reserves will be needed to fund future deficits as donations fall and costs to continue to increase. This expectation has been evidenced in current year position to date with provisional accounts showing net expenses of £26,000 for the first 9 months of the year to 31 March 2024. **Structure, Governance and Management:** The Food Bank is established as a CIO under a constitution document and is governed by a Board of Trustees who hold formal meetings, which have an agenda and full minutes, approximately once every two or three months. In addition to a Chair and Deputy Chair, the Trustees have appointed a Treasurer, and a Community and Schools Ambassador. Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees under the terms of the constitution and have been appointed on the basis of their background, interests and expertise and as well as attending Trustee meetings and working in sub groups set up to consider specific areas of policy / strategy, they assist directly by contributing to a number of operational and promotional activities. Trustees acting during the year and at the date of approval of this report: Bill Macdonald (Chair) Jim Tatchell (Treasurer) Norma Symonds (resigned September 2023) Jane Towns Christine Haynes Alison Jones Ian Williams Louise Taub (Secretary) Gillian Turner (appointed May 2022) Hana Hainsby (appointed September 2023) During the period covered by this report, the Food Bank employed two part time members of staff – a Manager and a Deputy Manager – to manage the operational activities of the Food Bank. The Food Bank could not operate without its loyal and hard working volunteers who have continued to ensure that the ever increasing demands are met, sometimes in difficult circumstances, with efficiency and cheerfulness. Signed on Behalf of the Trustees Date 29/1/2024 **Charity Name No (if any) Bishop's Stortford Foodbank 1154800 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 01-Apr-22 31-Mar-23 ## **Section A Receipts and payments** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Donations 142,575 3,409 - 145,984 65,294
Gift aid 1,962 - - 1,962 1,286
Other income 135 - - 135
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
3,409 - 148,081 66,580
Sub total (Gross income for AR) [ 144,672 ]
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 144,672 3,409 - 148,081 66,580
A3 Payments
Direct costs 58,951 3,409 - 62,360 39,188
Contributions to other agencies 500 - - 500 1,010
General office costs 3,056 - - 3,056 3,082
Staff costs 20,335 - - 20,335 19,708
Insurance 527 - - 527 426
Accountancy services 288 - - 288 216
Bank fees 72 - - 72 96
Premises 1,300 - - 1,300 21,650
Sub total [ 85,030 ] 3,409 - 88,439 85,376
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
Laptop 479 - - 479
- - - -
Sub total [ 479 ] - - 479 -
Total payments 85,509 3,409 - 88,918 85,376
Net of receipts/(payments) 59,163 0 - 59,163 - 18,796
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 65,031 - - 65,031 65,031
Cash funds this year end 124,194 0 - 124,194 46,235
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**|Cash
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**124,194**
**-**
**-**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**| |---|---|---|---|---| |**B5 Liabilities**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B2 Other monetary assets**|**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|**124,194**
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**|**-**
OK
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
OK| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**When due**
**(optional)**| ## Additional notes: 1. The CIO has not given any guarantees. There is no potential liability under a guarantee outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities 2. The CIO has no debt outstanding. At the date of the statement of assets and liabilities there is no debt owed by the CIO which is secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO. Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |Signature|Print Name
J Tatchell|Date of
approval
29/1/2024| |---|---|---| CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Bishop's Stortford Food Bank On accounts for the year ended 31sI March 2023 Charity no {rfany) 1154800 Set out on pages Attached 2 pages - Receipts and Payments Accounts I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'the Trust") for the year ended 3110312023. As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {"Ihe Act"). Rospongibilities and basls of report I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carrled out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under sectlon 145(51(bl of the Act. I have completed my examinatlon. I confimi that no materlal matters hav8 come to my attentlon in connectlon with the examination (9tk8Ftha￿8t dIsGlo￿￿' whlch gives me cause to believe thal in, any materlal respect: accountlng records were not kept in accordanco with soction 130 of the Acl or the accounts do not accord with the accountlng r8¢0rds the accounts dld nol cornply wlth the applicable requirements conc8rning the form and content of a¢¢ounts set out In the Charitles (A¢¢ounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts glve a 'true and fair, view which is not a rnatter consldered as part of an Independent examination. I have no concems and have Come 8¢ross no other matters in connection wlth the Oxamlnatlon to whlch attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper underslandlng of the accounts to be reached. Pleas8 delet8 the words In the brackets If they do not apply. Independent examiner's statement Signed: Date: 2310112024 Name: 6j.zf Rèlevant professional quallflcatlon{s) or body (If any): Fcck Address: 5 Ducketts Wharf. South Street Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 3AR IER October 2018 Section B Disc105ure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018