Pontefract Food Bank
Charity number 1155552
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 August 2023
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Pontefract Food Bank
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2023
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 4 |
| Examiner's report | 5 |
| Receipts and payments account | 6 |
| Statement of assets and liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the accounts | 8 to 9 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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Pontefract Food Bank
Trustees' report for the year ended 31 August 2023
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position
Mark Foy Chair Gary Byrne Treasurer Ann Harris Sharon Devlin Brenda Lee Wayne Clarida
Charity number
Charity number 1155552 Registered and principal address Bankers Central Methodist Church Yorkshire Bank Newgate Ropergate Pontefract Pontefract WF8 1NB WF8 1LQ
Registered in England and Wales
Independent examiner
E J Beverley FCCA West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) foundation formed on 29 January 2014 and is governed by a constitution as amended on 31 January 2021.
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
The trustees are appointed at a properly convened meeting of the trustees.
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects
The prevention and relief of poverty in Pontefract and surrounding area, particularly but not exclusively by providing emergency food supplies to individuals and families in need, and signposting people to appropriate agencies.
The charity's main activities
The provision of a foodbank in Pontefract.
Public benefit statement
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular the prevention or relief of poverty.
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Pontefract Food Bank
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 August 2023
Achievements and performance
Chair's report
I am Chair of the Board of Trustees of Pontefract Foodbank and this is my second annual report.
During this period we have made substantial changes to our services and operations. From October 2022 we have partnered with experts to offer financial advice to our clients, alongside the provision of food parcels. During the period we have grown the partner delivered financial advice from 1 session per week to 3 sessions per week, each offering a variety of services. The advice we facilitate is primarily related to benefits and debt, but can also cover many other topics that can have an impact on a clients ability to sustain themselves financially. Our objective in starting these new financial services was to help our clients achieve a situation where they no longer need the support of a foodbank.
These new financial services are provided in partnership with Citizens Advice Wakefield, and are provided to clients in the convenient town centre location of St Giles church in Pontefract. Funding for these services is provided by The Trussell Trust, via a grant covering three local foodbanks; Pontefract, Knottingley and Normanton.
In addition to maintaining our food parcel delivery model, we also now give our clients the opportunity to collect their food parcels at one of the St Giles sessions. In addition to the convenience this provides to some clients it also facilitates the social contacts that many of our clients can benefit from.
These changes have only been possible due to the ongoing enthusiasm and hard work of our trustees and volunteers. I cannot thank them enough for their dedication and selfless energy.
We remain hugely grateful for the extraordinary generosity of our local community, who make regular donations of food and money, and who also give generously during the special food collection events that we run throughout the year.
During this year Pontefract Foodbank fulfilled 825 requests for food support which included helping 1228 adults and 715 children. In total the Foodbank distributed nearly 13,000 kg of food and other items. This is an increase of about 30% on the previous year.
In the first year of facilitating financial advice to our clients we provided advice to 228 clients and helped them secure financial improvements of £92,950, largely from benefit related improvements.
The full Board now consists of myself (Mark Foy), Ann Harris, Brenda Lee, Sharon Devlin, Gary Byrne and Wayne Clarida. Each of them work extremely hard on their individual areas of responsibility, and make an inspiring and highly collaborative team to work with.
With our volunteers and our trustees we have a great team, all working together for the benefit of our community.
We also highly value our affiliation to the Trussell Trust, benefitting from best practice guidance for running a foodbank and from this period grant funding and guidance for the provision of our financial advice services. Without the support of the Trussell Trust we would be a much less effective operation.
In summary it’s been another busy year during which the generosity of our volunteers and community has allowed us to continue to provide help to those in need, now including financial advice in addition to food. We’re well placed in terms of volunteers and funding to continue this into next year, and will continue to explore other ways of supporting our clients.
I’m very proud to be associated with this team, and to play a small part in providing this help to those in need.
Mark Foy
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Pontefract Food Bank
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 August 2023
Financial review
The net receipts for the year were £21,641, including net receipts of £20,256 on unrestricted funds and net receipts of £1,385 on restricted funds after transfers.
Reserves policy
The charity's free reserves, at the year end were £85,170.
The trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately twelve months of current unrestricted charitable expenditure, £12,000. The trustees consider that alongside the likely ongoing acquisition of grants and donations this is a sufficient level of reserves necessary to maintain the foodbank operations.
We currently conduct all aspects of running the foodbank with volunteers only, we have no employees. It may become necessary for us to employ a project manager or operational coordinator. In support of this possible outcome we will maintain a reserve of £30,000.
We currently operate out of premises which are subject to no formal lease arrangement or rent. If the generosity of our benefactors changes it may become necessary for us to move to premises that are subject to a formal lease and rent arrangement. In support of this possible outcome we will maintain a reserve of £10,000.
This results in us needing to hold a total of £52,000 in reserves. As at financial year end (2022/23) we had unrestricted reserves of approximately £85,000.
For so long as the charity has reserves above this level of £52,000 the trustees have agreed to rely on the generosity of existing and new donors drawn to support the charity through local and national awareness of the need for its services rather than to campaign actively for funds.
The trustees will review our Reserves Policy at least annually.
Approved by the board of trustees on 20/05/2024
Mark Foy (Trustee)
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Pontefract Food Bank
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Pontefract Food Bank
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 31 August 2023, which are set out on pages 6 to 9.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the CIO's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Charities Act; 2 the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
E J Beverley FCCA
20/05/2024
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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Pontefract Food Bank
Receipts and payments account for the year ended 31 August 2023
| Notes 2023 Unrestricted funds £ Receipts Grants and donations (2) 22,692 Bank Interest 799 Total receipts 23,491 Payments Food and stock procurement 412 Volunteer expenses 129 Rent and rates 579 Utilities 53 Insurance - Repairs and maintenance 32 Memberships and subscriptions 35 Photocopier charges - Other project delivery costs 195 Accountancy 300 Donations to other providers 1,500 Total payments 3,235 Net receipts / (payments) 20,256 Fund balances brought forward 64,914 Fund balances carried forward (3) 85,170 |
2023 Restricted funds £ 9,462 - 9,462 5,519 24 1,436 507 591 - - - - - - 8,077 1,385 283 1,668 |
2023 Total funds £ 32,154 799 32,953 5,931 153 2,015 560 591 32 35 - 195 300 1,500 11,312 21,641 65,197 86,838 |
2022 Total funds £ 17,057 156 17,213 3,767 479 - 342 536 336 35 207 184 300 1,500 7,686 9,527 55,670 65,197 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pontefract Food Bank
Statement of assets and liabilities
| as at 31 August 2023 2023 Unrestricted £ Cash funds Cash at bank 84,953 Cash in hand 217 Total cash funds 85,170 Debtors and prepayments Prepayments Assets retained for the charity's own use Shipping Container for Food Storage Liabilities Accruals |
2023 Restricted £ 1,668 - 1,668 |
2023 Total £ 86,621 217 86,838 2023 £ 173 173 2023 £ 397 397 |
2022 Total £ 64,980 217 65,197 |
|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 20/05/2024
Mark Foy (Trustee)
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Pontefract Food Bank
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 August 2023
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.
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Pontefract Food Bank
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 August 2023
| 2 Grants and donations Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Tesco The Trussell Trust Knottingley Food Bank Crossroads Truck and Bus Donations 3 Restricted funds Balance b/f £ Knottingley Foodbank - Trussell Trust Winter Support - WMDC Household Support - WMDC Emergency Assistance 283 283 |
2023 Unrestricted funds £ - - - - 2,093 20,599 22,692 Incoming £ 3,104 5,000 1,358 - 9,462 |
2023 Restricted funds £ 1,358 - 5,000 3,104 - - 9,462 Outgoing £ 1,436 5,000 1,358 283 8,077 |
2023 Total funds £ 1,358 - 5,000 3,104 2,093 20,599 32,154 Transfers £ - - - - - |
2022 Total funds £ 3,000 1,407 - - - 12,650 17,057 Balance c/f £ 1,668 - - - 1,668 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund name
Knottingley Foodbank
Purpose of restriction
Funding to support all (non Citizens Advice Wakefield) costs associated with delivering the Financial Inclusion services.
Trussell Trust Winter Support
WMDC Household Support
WMDC Emergency Assistance
To provide support to households, who would otherwise struggle to buy food or pay essential utility bills or meet other essential living costs or housing costs (in exceptional cases of genuine emergency), to help them with significantly rising living costs
Assistance in supporting individuals struggling to afford food and other essentials.
4 Related party transactions
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
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