## 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**
1
## 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.
2
## 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)
3
## 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
4
## 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|
|---|---|---|---|
5
## 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|
|---|---|---|
6
## 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.
7
## 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.
8