Pontefract Food Bank
Charity number 1155552
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024
Pontefract Food Bank
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 3 |
| Examiner's report | 4 |
| Receipts and payments account | 5 |
| Statement of assets and liabilities | 6 |
| Notes to the accounts | 7 to 8 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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Pontefract Food Bank
Trustees' report for the year ended 31 August 2024
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 1155552 Registered in England and Wales Registered and principal address Bankers Central Methodist Church Yorkshire Bank Newgate Ropergate Pontefract Pontefract WF8 1NB WF8 1LQ
Independent examiner
Sarah Coates MAAT 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 2024
Achievements and performance
Chair's report
I am Chair of the Board of Trustees of Pontefract Foodbank and this is my third annual report.
During this period we have continued the provision of our food parcel delivery and collection services, and the provision of our financial advice services, designed to help our clients achieve a situation where they no longer need the support of a foodbank. Our financial advice services are provided in partnership with Citizens Advice Wakefield and are funded via a grant from The Trussell Trust.
The provision of all of our services is only possible due to the ongoing enthusiasm and hard work of our trustees and volunteers, to whom I offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks.
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 701 requests for food support which included helping 1,015 adults and 547 children. In total the Foodbank distributed over 10,000 Kg of food and other items.
During the Financial Inclusion project reporting year (October 2023 to September 2024) 160 people were advised by the service, a total of £205k in financial gain was achieved (for example in benefits gains, debt reduction etc) including £79k of debt written off.
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.
Mark Foy
Financial review
The net receipts for the year were £18,398, including net receipts of £17,027 on unrestricted funds and net receipts of £1,371 on restricted funds..
Reserves policy
The charity's free reserves, at the year end were £102,197.
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 (2023/24) we had unrestricted reserves of approximately £102,000.
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 10/06/2025
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 2024, which are set out on pages 5 to 8.
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.
Sarah Coates MAAT
10/06/2025
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 2024
| Notes 2024 Unrestricted funds £ Receipts Grants and donations (2) 21,600 Bank Interest 2,714 Total receipts 24,314 Payments Food and stock procurement 3 Volunteer expenses 210 Rent and rates 3,401 Utilities 841 Insurance 694 Repairs and maintenance 32 Memberships and subscriptions 35 Materials and equipment 20 Printing, postage and stationery 7 Other project delivery costs 147 Accountancy 397 Donations to other providers 1,500 Total payments 7,287 Net receipts / (payments) 17,027 Fund balances brought forward 85,170 Fund balances carried forward (3) 102,197 |
2024 Restricted funds £ 6,500 - 6,500 3,461 - 1,668 - - - - - - - - - 5,129 1,371 1,668 3,039 |
2024 Total funds £ 28,100 2,714 30,814 3,464 210 5,069 841 694 32 35 20 7 147 397 1,500 12,416 18,398 86,838 105,236 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pontefract Food Bank
Statement of assets and liabilities
| as at 31 August 2024 2024 2024 Unrestricted Restricted £ £ Cash funds Cash at bank 101,980 3,039 Cash in hand 217 - Total cash funds 102,197 3,039 Debtors and prepayments Prepayments Assets retained for the charity's own use Shipping Container for Food Storage Liabilities Accruals The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 10/06/2025 Mark Foy (Trustee) |
2024 Total £ 105,019 217 105,236 2024 £ 196 196 2024 £ 528 528 |
2023 Total £ 86,621 217 86,838 |
|---|---|---|
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Pontefract Food Bank
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 August 2024
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 2024
| 2 Grants and donations Wakefield Council Household Support Fund (HSF) Wakefield Council Food Aid Network (FAN) Trussel Trust Knottingley Foodbank Crossroads Truck and Bus Other donations 3 Restricted funds Balance b/f £ Knottingley Foodbank 1,668 Wakefield Council HSF - Wakefield Council HSF - Wakefield Council FAN - Wakefield Council HSF - 1,668 |
2024 Unrestricted funds £ - - 1,463 - - 20,137 21,600 Incoming £ - 2,000 2,000 1,000 1,500 6,500 |
2024 Restricted funds £ 5,500 1,000 - - - 6,500 Outgoing £ 1,668 2,000 1,461 - - 5,129 |
2024 Total funds £ 5,500 1,000 1,463 - - 20,137 28,100 Transfers £ - - - - - - |
2023 Total funds £ 1,358 - 5,000 3,104 2,093 20,599 32,154 Balance c/f £ - - 539 1,000 1,500 3,039 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund name Knottingley Foodbank
Wakefield Council HSF Wakefield Council HSF Wakefield Council FAN Wakefield Council HSF
Purpose of restriction
Funding to support all (non Citizens Advice Wakefield) costs associated with delivering the Financial Inclusion service.
Towards the costs of purchases and provision of food. Towards the costs of purchases and provision of food. Towards the costs of purchases and provision of food. Towards the costs of purchases and provision of food.
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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